The Perks of Being a Sociopath
by PitchBlue
Summary: "Not everybody is a bloody psychopath, Wright! If you want to curse someone, you've got to stop being so bloody rational all the time!" Sirius shouted. Olivia Wright is calm, rational and always in control. However, faced with a world on the verge of war, new erratic friends and unconvenient feelings, cracks are appearing in her stoic mask.
1. Hello and Goodbye

**Chapter 1: Hello and Goodbye  
**

"Keep still Katie, I got you," Olivia whispered to the small, curly – haired girl that heavily leaned on her. Katie Bennett's face was covered in scratches, her brown curls plastered and matted with blood. She moaned and stumbled on the long staircase that lead to her room.

"Just a bit further... come on," Olivia muttered, practically carrying the petite girl. With a tremendous effort, she placed her friend gingerly on her bed. Her eyes fell upon the deep gash in Katie's leg, and the bite marks that scattered her tiny body. Post – transformation mornings brought up the harsh reality of being a werewolf like nothing else.

Olivia carefully dampened a white cloth in the basin that stood next to Katie's bed and removed the dried trails of blood from Katie's face. She couldn't do any Healing Spells yet, since she was only fifteen and therefore not allowed to do magic outside school. In fact, she would be leaving for Hogwarts in only a few hours, leaving Katie behind until Christmas break. It always pained her that Katie couldn't come with her, for she was magical, but her parents didn't allow it.

"Mrs Bennett?" Olivia shouted when most of the blood was washed off. "Can you come and perform the Healing Spells please?"

A tall, dark – haired woman entered the small bedroom and kneeled next to her daughter's bed. Caroline Bennett's face was streaked with the worry only a mother could feel for her child, stroking Katie's matted, bloody curls behind her ear. Softly, she raised her wand and started muttering spells, expertly closing the gashes and wounds that were scattered across Katie's body. Werewolf bites and wounds never fully healed, so she would wear the scars forever, just like the others she had acquired during the years. It also took her longer to recover, since the transformation greatly weakened her system.

A coughing noise brought Olivia back from her reverie. Katie gingerly spit out some blood, her light blue eyes scanning the room and finally resting on Olivia.

"What are you doing here?" she croaked, her lips split and dry.

"What I always do."

"No, I mean, why now? You're supposed to be leaving for Hogw – you know, your school," Katie said, her frown visible between the fresh wounds and cuts on her face.

"I still have an hour. Either way, I wanted to say goodbye and all. Make sure you're okay," answered Olivia with the genuine smile reserved only for her closest friends. She generally appeared cool and indifferent to most people, a trait that she actively maintained since she didn't let people come close to her often. If your best friend was bitten by a Werewolf at the age of 9, and you saw how people reacted to that, loathing and hating an innocent young girl, it was bound to rub off on you somehow.

"I would hate it if you missed the train because of me," Katie whispered between coughs. Olivia wiped away the drops of blood in an automatic gesture, like she had done for the last 8 years.

"Don't worry, you can carry me if I miss that ruddy train," commented Olivia, with a half – smile, trying to lighten the mood. Katie's chipped lips pulled up slightly in a grin.

"You're one lazy piece of dragon dung, Olivia," she smirked.

"Well, nothing new there."

"Indeed". They grinned at each other for a few moments when the ancient clock sounded, signalling it was time for Olivia to leave.

"I've got to go. Be a good Werewolf and don't bite anyone while I'm away, will you?"

"If you don't get your skinny arse out of here, I _will_ bite you, human," Katie grunted good – humouredly.

"Fine, don't be a prat about it. Is it that time of the month again?"

"Go!" laughed Katie, her smile reaching her eyes now. Olivia gave her a brief hug and a military sort of salute when she left the room, strolling towards the fireplace.

*

"Muuum, where's my Head Girl badge?" Ella Wright screamed upstairs, causing Olivia to wince at the high piercing shriek. Trust her sister to freak out and start jabbering at a pitch only bats could hear.

"I don't know honey, have you checked the kitchen?" Sara Eriksen, their mother, shouted with equal nervousness from somewhere else in the house. Carrying a large trunk and a grumpy looking barn owl, she bustled into the living room where Olivia lay relaxing on one of the couches, not at all troubled by the hectic atmosphere. After years of dealing with two permanently stressed women, she had become as good as immune to it, like her father.

"It's not there!" Ella almost sobbed, also entering the living room. Olivia watched the two women as they discussed where the lost badge could possibly be. The light blonde hair and fair complexion of Sara clearly indicated her Norwegian descent. Her family had moved to Scotland while she was still young though, and in Edinburgh Sara had met Aldwyn Wright, their father. When Ella had been born, two years before Olivia, the family had moved to Lynton, a small village by the high cliffs of England.

Olivia absolutely adored it there. She loved the magnificent cliffs with their windy heights, the beautiful ocean that stretched out as far as she could see and that delightful smell of sea air mixed with wild flowers, clearing her head with a fresh haze. She loved the open space, the seemingly endless sky with clouds chasing after one another, and the strong winds that tore at her hair. It was her natural habitat, her safe haven where she had grown up hiking along the cliffs, flying against the wind on her toy broomstick, and watching the stars at clear nights.

She believed that there was a place in the world for everyone, where you could just feel it was where you belonged; a place that seeped into your veins and crept under your skin to become a part of you, filling you up. That was what the cliffs and the sea meant to Olivia. It was a part of her, and while she hadn't noticed it herself, it showed in her appearance while she grew up. Her light blonde hair had turned into a darker blonde over the years, matching the colour of sand on the hidden beaches between the cliffs. Her eye colour had changed from the light blue that graced her mother and sister's eyes, to the green – grey colour of the North Sea. Her skin matched her hair colour, being of a sandy tone, but not what you would call tan. Anyone could tell her natural habitat was between the cliffs, with the violent sea thousands of feet beneath her, and a strong wind pulling at her hair.

"Mum, I can't go to Hogwarts without my Head Girl badge!" Ella exclaimed, wringing her hands nervously. She seemed to be on the verge of tears.

"Oh, look. Here it is," Olivia said calmly, pulling out a silver badge from between the folds of the couch. She quickly covered her ears when Ella gave a shriek of relief. Really, she loved her sister, but sometimes Ella was just too much.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Ella, you're choking me!" gasped Olivia, trying to escape from the death trap that her sister called a 'hug'. Physical closeness generally made her uncomfortable.

"Alright then, sour puss. Mum, I'm ready to go!"

"About time too," their mother said while smiling brightly at her eldest daughter. Her light blue eyes turned teary at the sight of her oldest daughter, Head Girl and Hogwarts sweetheart, ready to start her final year of wizarding education.

"You're so grown up," she sobbed, hugging Ella close to her who had also got very emotional.

"I can't believe this is my final year," Ella sniffed in her mother's neck. Olivia rolled her eyes as the two women whispered emotionally to each other. Sometimes it was hard to believe they were related.

"Merlin's pants, are you two done already? You'd think Ella is going to live in sodding Russia for the next 15 years."

"Yes yes, of course. We have to hurry," Ella said nervously, checking her watch. "Have you got everything?" asked she, turning to Olivia who was still spread out on the couch.

She smirked and stretched out while stifling a yawn. "Sis, I packed everything days ago. I'm good."

*

Platform 9 ¾ was the usual crowded, loud hustle it always was. Owls soared above the students, knocking off long pointed witch's hats while cats hissed angrily in their cages. Ella quickly strode towards the front of the train, ready to fulfil her Head Girl duties, while Olivia dragged her trunk along to find her friend, Liz Ortega. She didn't have to look far though, as when she entered the 3rd compartment she saw Liz already spread out on one of the benches.

"_What_ in the name of Circe's knickers are you wearing?" Liz nearly shouted, as she bolted upright. Olivia grinned. She had missed her dramatic, rude, extroverted friend.

"Oh don't give me that grin, Olivia Wright. When will you ever learn to dress yourself as a woman?" Liz sounded almost exasperated.

"Well, I figured you'd be enough woman for the two of us, so I had to do something to keep the balance," she replied drily. She and Liz were almost complete opposites, both in clothing style as in personalities. But somehow, they were best friends, and after a while people had stopped trying to figure out how their weird friendship could work.

"Why thank you," Liz said smugly. She was wearing a red dress which came just above the knee, and fitted her curvy hips and slim waist neatly. The red of the dress complemented her olive toned skin and wearing strappy platform sandals, she was about the same height as Olivia.

"Too bad you're still smaller than me on your heels, but nice try though." She patted her friend on the head, something which Liz didn't appreciate.

"Yeah well, at least I make up for it in other departments," she snorted, looking critically at Olivia's outfit. She wore a loose grey t – shirt, with shorts she had cut from an old pair of jeans and low all – stars. "I suppose I should be glad you're showing your legs at all."

"I suppose I should be glad you're wearing clothes at all."

This earnt Olivia a smack on the back of her head.

"Right. Look, do you know in which compartment James Potter is? I need to ask a few Quidditch related questions," she asked, rubbing her head.

"Don't expect me to keep track of your house mates, I'm having enough trouble remembering the names of my own ones," Liz replied, studying her nails.

"And I thought Ravenclaw's were smart," Olivia muttered. "I'm going to look for him, be back in a minute!"

She walked through the hallway, dodging the odd curses and Dungbombs that were already circulating, and managed to find James in a middle compartment. She hurriedly entered, not bothering to knock.

James, his black hair sticking in every direction, was sitting in the middle of the compartment, with his best mate Sirius Black sitting next to him. Sirius was leaning back with an easy elegance, listened to his mate ranting about the upcoming Quidditch season. Remus Lupin was sitting next to the window, solving the crossword puzzle in the Daily Prophet with a small frown on his face and pushing his sandy locks out of his eyes. He looked very ill, since the full moon had been yesterday night. Of course, Olivia wasn't supposed to notice this, but if your best friend was a Werewolf you tended to recognise the signs easily. Lupin and his friends had no idea that she knew his secret, and she intended to keep it that way. Peter Pettigrew was already snoring next to the compartment door, his mouth slightly agape.

"Oi, Potter, do you happen to know who got made Quidditch captain?" Olivia asked, interrupting a demonstration of James pretending to score a goal.

"Oh hi, Wright, didn't see you there." He flashed a grin. "I just heard that Evan Hamilton got made captain, so we're in for a rough year." According to her, he seemed a bit too happy at this prospect. "By the way, did you manage to get a new broom this summer? You can't expect to pull off another season on that old Cleansweep 6."

She frowned a little hearing the criticism on her old broom. After all, it had been her first broom and she was very attached to it, though she had to admit that its moments of glory had long passed.

"Yes, actually. You'll never believe which one I got," she responded with a wicked grin. James watched her with big eyes.

"You don't mean to say…"

"I got a Nimbus 1000!" Olivia nearly shouted. James and Sirius seemed momentarily dumbstruck and then started to shout all at once.

"You HAVE to let me fly it, just one time!"

"Have you tried it yet?"

"Please, just once and I –"

"You'll nail Slytherin's asses!"

"I beg you, just this time –"

"How fast does it go?"

"If you let me, I'll give you food and –"

"Gentlemen! Please contain yourselves!" Olivia interrupted them with a mock posh accent. "You'll both get a chance to ride on it, it can speed up to 100 miles per hour, and we'll definitely nail Slytherin's asses, along with those of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff." She gave James a grin.

"Anyway, I'll leave you guys now, I just wanted to know who the new captain was." She paused, her hand on the compartment door handle and shot a quick glance at Remus' crossword puzzle.

"By the way Lupin, you're looking for the word 'Lethifold' over there. Third one horizontally,"

Remus gave her a slightly crooked smile, his amber eyes meeting her gaze for the slightest moment. "Thanks Wright."

She gave him a quick nod as she left the compartment. Walking through the train, she heard snippets of conversation as well as the occasional curse finding its victim. _Good to know some things never change_.

*

"For Merlin's sake Liam, get your own Chocolate Frogs!" Olivia snapped as the tall boy snatched away another one of the enormous heap lay next to her on her seat. Liam Healey, a tall 6th – year Gryffindor with reddish brown hair had been her friend since 3rd year, when she had tried out for the Gryffindor Quidditch Team and accidentally flew into him. To everyone's surprise, they had made it to the team in the end. Strange how things could go.

"I could eat a Hippogriff," Liam complained in his thick Irish accent, rubbing his stomach absently. "Dumbledore better keep it short, with that bloody welcome speech."

"Don't blame him for the fact that you have the concentration skills of a mentally challenged Flobberworm," Liz reacted snidely, flipping a page in her magazine.

"Hey! I happen to be an extremely focused bloke!" he exclaimed in indignation.

"Yeah, on food and ruddy Quidditch probably," snorted Liz, flipping her dark brown hair out of her eyes.

"Oh, and you're _sooo_ perfect, miss I – snog – everything – that – walks."

"Sod off, Healey."

Olivia absently tuned out their bickering and stared out of the window. Liz and Liam were friends, good friends even, but sometimes it was hard to say when you didn't know them. They just happened to vent their frustrations out on each other, which suited them perfectly since neither one of them actually took offense. She supposed everyone had their way of dealing with stress.

"Come on ladies, we've arrived," Olivia said sagely, interrupting their bickering. The change in her two friends was almost funny, how they'd gone from throwing insults to happy chatting.

The clean, fresh Scottish air was still warm and streaked with the last reddish orange rays of the setting sun, indicating an Indian Summer as they strolled from the train to the carriages. Olivia vaguely heard Lily Evan's high voice shouting over the noise, herding the mass of first – years that huddled together with anxious expressions on their little faces. Remus Lupin stood next to her, hands in pockets, and appeared to be talking reassuringly to a few first years. She had expected them to receive the Prefect badges, since nobody else in their year was really up to the job.

As they were waiting for a carriage and Liz and Liam had started bickering again, Olivia found herself standing behind James, Sirius and Peter, who together with Remus were the boys in her year.

"Mate, where's Remmy?" James asked Sirius, standing on his feet to look over the heads of students. He was quite tall, so it wasn't a great effort to do so.

"Probably doing his Prefect business," Sirius answered in a bored tone, pulling a face. "Poor bloke, he was destined to become one from the start."

"He gets to spend time with Evans, though," said James with a pout, which made him look more boyish than ever. Sirius rolled his eyes and shared an annoyed glance with Peter. Olivia guessed it could be a bit of a bore, listening to James talking about Lily Evans all the time.

"There he comes," shouted Sirius, grinning widely as Remus pushed through the mass of students to where his friends were standing.

"I swear to Merlin, those first years are shrinking by the minute."

"You don't have to tell me, mate. A bunch of dwarves, that's what they are," James agreed, his hazel eyes wide. He opened his mouth to say sometimes else, but his voice was drowned by the shouting of Liz and Liam.

"I'm telling you, a Leaping Toadstool is _blue_ with _orange_ spots –"

"No, orange with blue!"

"Blue with orange!"

A carriage stopped in front of Sirius, James, Peter and Remus, but they didn't notice, following the meaningless bantering instead. Olivia rolled her eyes and pushed past them, stepping into the carriage and wrinkling her nose at the musty smell.

"Aren't those your friends, Wright?" James asked, pointing towards Liz and Liam.

"Nope, I've never met them," replied Olivia with a straight face, earning a couple of weird glances from the Marauders who had stepped in after her.

"Orange with blue!" Liz roared, and slammed the door of the carriage shut in Liam's face. "What're you looking at, shortie?" she hissed to Peter, who quickly averted his gaze and mumbled something incoherently, a deep blush appearing on his cheecks. Sirius cocked one eyebrow, sharing a confused look with James and Remus, who in turn looked to Olivia for an explanation.

"Don't look at me, I don't know her," she muttered calmly while Liz gave an annoyed sigh. It was clear that the Marauders felt a bit uncomfortable around them, as they had probably hoped to have the carriage to themselves. Olivia wasn't exactly friends with them, even though they were in the same year and house. She chatted with James sometimes, since they were both on the Quidditch Team, and she could start some small talk with Sirius or Remus without it being weird, but that was as far as it went. So, needless to say, an awkward tension hung in the air.

As the carriage rode towards the main gates, patches of light coming from the lanterns occasionally illuminated Remus' face. He looked very sick, just like Katie did on post-transformation mornings, but he could easily pretend it was a cold since he didn't have any visible new scars. Olivia quietly studied him, inwardly ticking off the signs that indicated lycanthropy. It wasn't until she noticed Remus growing more and more uncomfortable that she shifted her gaze and stared out of the window, to be welcomed by the magnificent sight of Hogwarts that still managed to take her breath.

Liam and Olivia went to sit at the Gryffindor Table, while Liz went over to the Ravenclaw Table to sit with her friends. As professor McGonagall entered the Great Hall, a hush fell over the students. A line of tiny first years trotted after her, all trying very hard not to think about the fact that the whole school was watching them. The Hat, having been brought in by McGonagall, begun its song describing the characteristics of each of the houses. Occasionally, one of the first years would shoot a shy look at one of the house tables, only to quickly lower their glances when they spotted someone watching them.

As the Hat fell silent the Hogwarts students clapped politely, although the Hall was filled with whispers about the some parts of the song. Just like last year, the Hat had mentioned a great danger approaching and emphasized the importance of standing united. There had been ominous attacks and disappearances the past summer, which only added to the sense of foreboding.

"Well, if a sodding Hat isn't going to convince us then what else will?" Olivia muttered sarcastically to Liam. He smiled in agreement, but couldn't say more since the Sorting Ceremony had started. McGonagall looked sternly around the Hall, silencing those who were still talking, then started with her list. Thankfully, it didn't take long and while McGonagall rolled up her list, food had appeared on the tables.

Liam grinned approvingly, already diving into the food, while Olivia reached for the roast chicken. Across from her, her dorm mates Lily Evans, Joan Ellery and Mary McDonald were chatting away happily. The three friends obviously hadn't seen each other this summer. A few places to the right, Emma Jordans was laughing loudly with her friends Andrew Fenn and Troy Harrison. She was also a dorm mate of Olivia but didn't really get along with any of the 5th year girls, preferring to spend time with her friends from the team, where Emma and Olivia were the only girls. Emma was a bit of a tomboy, but Olivia liked her. She wasn't as giggly as the others girls.

"Looking forward to Quidditch training?" Liam asked Olivia, his mouth full with boiled potatoes.

"I am, but I'm also a bit concerned about Evan Hamilton's idea of a normal training," she said while nodding. "His idea of a good normal training is, and I quote 'where you're so knackered you can't tell broom from Quaffle'."

"Amen to that," Liam snickered.

"So all in all I hope we'll still be alive when we get to play our first match."

She just finished her chicken when the food vanished, only to be replaced with dessert. Claiming a lemon meringue pie, Olivia took a large piece and set to eat. She loved lemon meringue pie, but the house elves didn't make it as often as she'd like. On the far end of the table, she saw James dig in his favourite treacle tart and Remus consuming a large piece of a chocolate tart. When the last pieces of dessert vanished and a few people were already starting to yawn, Dumbledore stood up once again to make the start of term announcements.

"Welcome everyone, to a new year at Hogwarts. Before you all fall asleep, I have a few things to say. Firstly, I would like to welcome professor Vaughan who has accepted the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher." A young man with light brown hair and a small beard stood up and bowed to the applause.

"Secondly, in these troublesome times I wish to urge you all to be vigilant when you wander across the grounds. Hogwarts is intensely protected, but nevertheless it would be foolish to tempt fate." Dumbledore's twinkling blue eyes seemed to pause on the Marauders for a moment when he said this.

"And lastly, I would like to point out that the Forbidden Forest is, as its name suggests, forbidden for all students. Now up you go, to your dormitories!"

Above the sound of scraping benches and sleepy students, Olivia heard Lily Evans call out for the first years. She yawned, thanking her lucky stars that she hadn't been chosen Prefect, and lazily strolled to the Marble Staircase. She passed Remus Lupin on the way, who was also leading the first years to the right direction and chuckled when one accidentally stepped on his foot.

"Can't handle the ickle firsties, Lupin?" she asked drily, arching one eyebrow.

"They're awfully dangerous for being so small," he answered darkly, shooting her a grin. "Care to help me out with this lot?"

"Not a chance, Lupin. Not a chance," she managed to utter while stifling a yawn, and climbed the familiar staircase to the Gryffindor Common Room, already dreaming about the warm bed that waited for her upstairs.

"Thanks a lot, Wright," Remus shouted after her, but she didn't hear him anymore. He chuckled softly and shook his head, watching her frame disappearing behind a tapestry.

* * *

**A/N: First of all, thank you for reading! I have a few things to point out. Firstly, English is not my native language so feel free to tell me if I make mistakes. Secondly, this will be a long - term fic (spanning 3 Hogwarts years), so things will take time to develop. Thirdly, the canon characters I used are my own interpretation of them, not necessarily how they are portrayed in the books (to avoid possible "that's so not how Sirius would behave!" - comments). And lastly, I own nothing of Harry Potter, except for my OC's. That's all, I hope you enjoyed it!**


	2. So What

**Chapter 2: So What**

The following morning, Olivia went to breakfast with Emma, meeting Liam and some of his sixth – year friends on the way to the Great Hall.

"What do you think of the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher?" Emma asked, looking up at Olivia for she was several inches shorter.

Olivia shrugged. "I really wouldn't know. We haven't had any lessons from him, so it's hard to tell right?"

Emma nodded, her big dark eyes looking thoughtful. "I heard that he's involved in the Auror Program, as an expert in duelling or something."

"He'll be more than capable then," Olivia muttered distractedly. She wasn't a morning person, especially when she hadn't had her coffee yet. While Emma's friends Troy Harrison and Andrew Fenn, both on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team piled up their plates with food, Olivia drank her coffee and ate some toast. McGonagall quickly came around handing everyone their timetables.

"Rats, we only have Defence Against the Dark Arts on Thursday and Friday," Emma said grumpily. Olivia didn't reply, still needing to wake up and poured out a second cup of coffee.

"Second cup already, Oli?" a voice said to her right. Liz had come over from the Ravenclaw table and sat herself next to Olivia, reaching for a platter of pancakes. Her deep brown hair, cut into a wavy French carré just above her shoulder, looked flawless. Olivia's hair on the other hand, was still tousled from sleeping.

"Mmmh."

"Good morning to you too," Liz sang cheerfully. "How's your timetable?"

"First double period Charms, then Herbology and double Transfiguration," she said with her mouth full. Liz looked mildly disapproving at her lack of lady – like behaviour.

"Great, we'll have Herbology and Transfiguration together. Care to be partners in Herbology?"

Olivia nodded gratefully. She was a complete disaster at Herbology, whereas Liz was a genius at it. You wouldn't say she was one for the dirty work, judging on her clothing and appearance, but she had a real gift with it.

"Gotta run, first period potions coming up," Liz said with a grimace. Olivia groaned emphatically and waved her off.

Charms was one of the easier classes, therefore Olivia had no particular problems with the subject. Professor Flitwick had started their lesson explaining the importance of OWL's and urging them to study very hard, even giving homework on their very first day. Herbology was no different, with the young Professor Sprout looking unusually stern. She then set them to work on a Fanged Geranium. Thanks to Liz' watchfulness, Olivia only received 3 minor bites.

Smelling strongly of mooncalf dung, the Gryffindors went to their common room for a quick shower before hurrying off to lunch. Olivia ended up sitting in the Great Hall next to Lily, whose friends appeared to still be in the shower.

"Had a nice holiday?" Lily asked conversationally. The two girls didn't know each other well, but since they slept in the same dorm they were on speaking terms. Olivia shrugged.

"Was okay. I went flying a lot. How was yours?"

Lily looked a bit uncomfortable at this. "Fine, I guess."

Only then Olivia realized that Lily didn't get along well with her sister, so her summer must've been a bit awkward. Quickly wanting to change the subject, she asked the first thing that came to her mind.

"Do you think the OWL's really are that bad?"

Lily looked grateful for the change of subject, and responded eagerly. "Definitely, our whole future depends on it! I'm already getting nervous actually." She suddenly gave her an analyzing look. "You're not really the nervous type, are you?" she asked thoughtful. Olivia chuckled at this.

"That may be the understatement of the century," she said laughing. "I almost never get nervous about anything. Not even a Quidditch Match, or exams."

"That must be wonderful," Lily sighed. "I can get almost sick with tension sometimes!"

"It's not always that good really," Olivia said slowly. "Sometimes the right kind of stress can make you work harder and everything."

"True enough. Still, I would kill for a few hours of peace during exams. I think the only ones who're more immune to stress than you are Potter and Black." She nodded her head to the group of friends sitting a few metres from them.

"Where you talking about me, my dearest Evans?" James Potter asked eagerly, clearly having listened to their conversation.

"We were discussing the most effective way to get rid you," Lily responded icily.

"I proposed sending you on a date with Alecto Carrow," Olivia added drily, looking across Lily's shoulder at James. James looked indignant.

"Wright! You're supposed to be on my side, we're on the same team!"

She merely smirked, then packed her bag and waved at Lily. She wanted to go to the library before Transfiguration, and she got about 15 minutes left. Trying to ignore the piercing stare the librarian, Mrs Pince gave her, she entered the library and went to the Charms section.

"Non – verbal spells, where are you…" she muttered to herself. A few books immediately sprung from their shelves, landing on a nearby table in a neat stack. After a moment of initial surprise, she went over to the table. _Why didn't I discover this earlier?_ One of the books looked promising: 'An introduction to non – verbal spells' by Sophocles Demaclus.

She decided to take it with her. They didn't have to learn non – verbal spells until their sixth year, but she was strangely fascinated by the ability to perform spells without muttering the incantation. And when Olivia was interested in something, she tended to get really absorbed in it. Quickly running to the Transfiguration classroom, she put the book in her satchel.

*

"OWL's are the most important part of your career as wizards," Professor McGonagall barked sternly, looking around the room daring anyone to disagree with her. "Your marks will determine the courses you can take on NEWT level, and therefore will determine what job opportunity you can pursue. In the course of the year, each of you will receive career counselling from your Head of House. More information on that subject will follow."

Her gaze rested on Sirius and James for a few moments, who had been whispering suspiciously during her explanation. Remus had been taking notes while Peter seemed distracted by a bee on the far left window.

"Now, one of the most essential skills for a witch or wizard, is the mastering of Vanishing Spells. These spells vary in complexion depending on the object or animal you're attempting to Vanish. You will start with Vanishing snails, as invertebrates are easier to Vanish than for example mammals." She flicked her wand and a complex looking chart appeared on the blackboard. "You will copy this chart, then start practicing on the snails. I do not expect any of you to master the spell on your first try, but achievements will be rewarded."

As the students took notes, McGonagall walked between the desks, reprimanding the occasional distracted student and finally conjured a snail on every desk.

"The spell is Evanesco. You have studied the theory, now attempt to Vanish your snail, and do so with the utmost concentration!" She stood in front of her desk, hands behind her back and watched the students through her rectangular glasses. All around Olivia her classmates were uttering the spell, but nothing really seemed to happen. Liz was already prodding her snail impatiently.

Turning to her own snail, which was greenish brown and rather slimy, she whipped her wand and muttered the spell. The snail mere withdrew one of his eyes, as if to mock her. Frowning slightly, she rolled up her sleeves and said the spell with a bit more force. This time, the snail seemed to have lost its colour and become transparent. Wondering if this was a step in the right direction or merely a coincidence, she looked over to Professor McGonagall, who immediately came over to her desk.

"Very good miss Wright, you're heading in the right direction." She nodded approvingly. "5 points to Gryffindor."

"Evanesco!" James voice rang through the classroom, and his snail Vanished entirely. Lily, who was sitting a few places ahead of him, grumbled. James always had a knack for Transfiguration, so nobody was really surprised that he'd mastered the spell so quickly. Sirius also managed to Vanish his snail after a few times, causing McGonagall to reward them with 10 points each. By the end of the class, a few other students including Remus and Liz had managed to make their snails transparent.

"I require a 3 foot long essay on the conjugation and use of Vanishing Spells by Friday," McGonagall barked when the students gathered their things. "No excuses!"

The 5th years didn't look pleased as they left for the Common Room. Liz agreed to meet Olivia in the Library in half an hour, and Olivia found herself walking behind the Marauders as they made their way up to the Common Room.

"We've got Charms homework, that Fanged Geranium drawing for Sprout and now McGonagall too!" Peter exclaimed in his squeaky voice, looking already stressed out. "I'll never make it through this year."

Sirius and James merely laughed, clapping their friend on the back. "Course you will Pete. If you follow our lead, you'll ace all your OWL's," Sirius said with a grin. Peter didn't look reassured at all.

"Don't worry, I'll tutor you," Remus said in his calm manner, which caused Peter to relax a little bit.

"Wright, I didn't know you had a knack for Transfiguration," Remus said, turning towards Olivia.

"I don't," she said confusedly. "Probably just got lucky."

"Nah, you seem to do all right most of the time," James interrupted.

"Maybe, but with you and Black being the princes of Transfiguration, no one's going to notice that," she said drily, raising one eyebrow.

"Ah Wright, you read my thoughts," James said lightly, climbing through the portrait hole. "See you tomorrow at Quidditch training?"

Olivia saluted him, walking up to her dormitory to drop off her books. She packed a few scrolls of parchment, her Eagle feather, Transfiguration book and the book on non – verbal spells in her satchel to take with her to the Library. It was still warm for the time of the year, so she loosened the top buttons of her shirt and pulled up her hair into a loose ponytail.

_I still have time to go the kitchens before meeting Liz_, she thought to herself. She could kill for a cinnamon muffin right know. Heaving her satchel over her shoulder, she left the dormitory and descended the spiral staircase. Dodging a Dungbomb gone astray, she climbed out of the portrait hole and took a longer but secret route to the kitchens, not meeting anyone on her path.

The house elves were as happy as ever when they saw her entering the kitchen.

"Miss Wright, a great pleasure it is!" Nettie, the house elf in charge of pastries squeaked.

"Nice to see you too, Nettie." Olivia grinned. "You haven't got any of those cinnamon muffins, have you?"

"Of course miss, we knows they're your favourites!" A couple of house elves came running towards Olivia with a platter stacked with cinnamon muffins. She ate one on the spot, and wrapped some in a napkin to take with her to the library.

"Thanks Nettie! I'll see you soon!" she shouted over the sound of dishes boiling and pans clanking.

"Good day miss Wright!" Nettie managed to squeak. Olivia grinned to herself when she climbed the great marble staircase on her way to the Library. House elves always got you in a good mood.

Seeing as Liz wasn't there yet, she took their usual table by one of the big windows and opened the book on non – verbal spells. Picking at a cinnamon muffin, she began to read.

_Non – verbal spell casting is a difficult and advanced branch of magic, nevertheless it is a skill that each witch or wizard should master. The non – verbal spell has many advantages such as a surprise effect, and in some cases even a stronger result than when the spell would have been uttered verbally. However, the mastering of the ability to perform non – verbal spells has proven to be easier for one wizard and more difficult for another. This phenomenon has different causes._

Firstly, some wands are more sensitive to non – verbal spells than others. If you have difficulty with performing non – verbal spells, you may want to look up the characteristics of your wand for it may not be suited for this kind of magic. Secondly, a very important aspect is the character of the witch of wizard in question. Extravagant, loud and attention – seeking wizards often experience having trouble with casting non – verbal spells. The reason behind this is that those spells require a certain subtleness and an organized mind, characteristics mostly described to introvert witches or wizards. However, those who are insecure about their own abilities and generally nervous types, may also experience difficulties.

Thus, the ideal non – verbal spell caster is a wizard who is calm, secure, and self - controlled and possesses a certain strength of thought. In some cases, the wizard can find that his or her spells cast non – verbally is stronger or more accurate than when it would be cast verbally, although that is rarely the case. It is certain however, that some incantations in general benefit from being cast non – verbally. Advanced protective enchantments for example and spells which affect the mind, but also certain curses and jinxes. It is through a process of trail and error that the wizard must learn what works for him, and what not. In the following chapters, the process behind casting non – verbal spells will be explained as well as common mistakes and difficulties.  
  
Olivia closed the book and started thinking. According to this explanation, she shouldn't have any real difficulty with casting non – verbal spells. Of course, practice was very different from just the theory. She was intrigued by how some wands were more adapt to non – verbal spell casting than others. Making a mental note to read up on the subject of wandlore, she returned to her book.

_The key to mastering non – verbal spells is to start off easily. Try casting your basic charms, forming the words in your mind with a certain force and determination, but not speaking them out loud under any circumstance. It will be difficult not to bend to the temptation of uttering the spell out loud, but this is the only way to learn.  
_  
"Oi, Olivia, what're you reading?" Liz had appeared to her table, and tried to read the book over Olivia's shoulder.

"Just something about non – verbal spells," Olivia said, quickly stuffing the book in her satchel.

Liz rolled her eyes. "Is this one of your strange projects again? You get all obsessed about one certain thing or skill and then you want to learn everything about it."

"What's wrong with that? Doesn't hurt you, does it?" She smiled cheekily.

"No but it's bloody irritating! Last year it was perfecting your Shield Charm with those additional enchantments, and before that you taught yourself Mermish!" Liz exclaimed exasperated.

"Only a basic understanding," she muttered guiltily. Liz raised her eyebrow.

"Really Olivia? You're going to defend learning Mermish just for the fun of it? Why aren't you in Ravenclaw again?"

"Well, I was a Hatstall," Olivia pointed out sagely. When she was sorted, the Hat had taken almost 6 minutes deciding between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, ultimately choosing Gryffindor. The Hat had appeared a bit shaken and annoyed with himself after sorting her. It probably didn't like not being able to make a fixed decision. "By the way, you shouldn't judge me, you're a Ravenclaw! You're in the same house as Xenophilus Lovegood for Merlin's sake!"

"Fair point, but I exceed in all my classes, not only in some strange subjects that probably won't even be of any use in life," Liz retorted, suppressing a smile.

"Never been one for modesty either."

"Self – knowledge is the key to wisdom," Liz sang happily. "Now, I think we should start with that Transfiguration essay."

Olivia nodded, and the both of them set to work while the evening sun shone through the window. She had to admit it to herself, having a Ravenclaw as your best friend had its advantages.

Liz was smart in a way that she could organize her assignments flawlessly and was keen on scoring high marks, but regarding her emotions she was dramatic and an utter chaos. Olivia didn't care that much about her marks, but she was curious and liked to learn. As rational as she was in her mind and having the ability to manage and understand her emotions, her homework and assignments were a complete chaos. So, the two friends complemented each other almost perfectly. They managed to get the largest part of their essay lined out before dinner (roast beef with steamed vegetables and baked potatoes) which they attended together, Olivia joining Liz at the Ravenclaw table for a change.

"When do you want to go to the Light Room again?" she asked Liz with her mouth full of vegetables. The Light Room was a room Southern side of the castle, which was less frequently used. They had discovered the room in their second year and since then generally went there two or three times a month, to talk a bit. Last year they had included butterbeer in their meetings.

"Friday after dinner?" Liz asked, perfectly lady – like. Olivia nodded, but couldn't say anything because her mouth was too full. Liz rolled her eyes and pricked a baked potato on her fork, looking stern.

"One of these days Olivia, you will realise you look like a dim - witted goblin when you eat," she said, waving her fork.

"That's the day when you get tired of snogging in broom cupboards," Olivia said cheerfully. "In other words, not bloody likely to happen anytime soon." She gulped down her orange juice (pumpkin juice had never been a favourite) and stood up. "I'm going down the grounds to practice non – verbal spells. What about you?"

"Finish homework and get my beauty sleep."

Olivia raised one eyebrow. "Sounds exciting. See you tomorrow at breakfast?"

Liz nodded, and Olivia walked out of the Great Hall and strolled to her favourite spot by the lake. The sun was setting, sending its last rays of orange light over the treetops, illuminating the lake with a reddish haze. She liked this time of the day, when you could see the sky coloured with dark blue in the East and orange in the West. She bend down on the shore, looking for small pebbles she could use to Levitate. Having found some, she put them on a large rock in front of her and raised her wand.

"Okay, focus. Start off easily. Say the incantation in your mind." She took a deep breath, and thought with all her might, "Wingardium Leviosa!"

One of the pebbles gave a small twinge, but nothing else happened. "Bugger," she whispered. She concentrated harder and tried again. Now, the pebble floated for a few seconds before falling. Excitedly, Olivia gave a small smile. She had felt something, as if her mind was somehow speaking instead of thinking.

When she tried for the third time, she was able to Levitate the pebble for as long as she wanted. Glad with her improvement, she set back for the castle since it was getting darker. Olivia intended to practice by only casting spells non – verbally from now on. Sure, Wingardium Leviosa was a basic charm so it hadn't been that difficult, but if she wanted to cast stronger curses and enchantments she'd have to practise as much as she could. She couldn't really say why she wanted to learn non – verbal spells so badly, but then again in the past her little projects had also been quite random.

When Olivia entered the castle, she cast a quick Lumos charm and was happy to see it worked. She was getting the hang of this.

"Oi! Wright!" a male voice shouted. She turned around to see her Quidditch captain Evan Hamilton approaching on her with a big grin on his face. He was rather burly from years of playing Beater, with short dark brown hair and kind dark green eyes.

"You know it's Quidditch training tomorrow?" he asked.

"Yes, right after dinner right?"

He nodded. "Since the team's still complete we don't have to organise trials. That is, if no one screws up."

Olivia gave him an amused smile. "Course not. And since I have a new broom, I'll be playing better."

"Which one did you get then?" he asked mildly interested.

"Nimbus 1000."

Evan looked at her in awe, his mouth slightly agape. "Bloody hell that's brilliant! We'll be unbeatable!"

Olivia smiled smugly. "One broom doesn't make that much difference. Anyway, are you also going to the Gryffindor Tower?"

He nodded, still smiling, and they chatted away talking about Quidditch and lessons the whole way up. He had become easier to talk to, she thought, much less serious. Maybe this year wouldn't be that bad at all.

She said goodbye to Evan in the Common Room, heading straight for her dormitory. Someone had set off some Dr. Filibuster Fabulous Fireworks, causing the Common Room to smell strongly of burnt hair. Since Lily was shouting to James Potter, the culprits were likely the Marauders. Olivia saw some small students, probably first years watch the scene with faces full of soot.

As she closed the door of the dorm, Lily shouting was muffled. Joan Ellery, her honey – blonde hair shining and perfectly in order, was putting on her nightgown while Mary McDonald was reading, her brown hair hiding her face. For some reason Emma seemed to be in a bad mood. Her short dark hair was sticking up in every direction and she put on her pyjamas with unnecessary force. Olivia didn't inquire, if Emma wanted to talk about whatever was bothering her she would.

Olivia kneeled next to her bed and got some strange – looking devices from her trunk: something resembling a small record player, and wooden headphones. She carefully laid the equipment on her bed and started looking through a book with spells. As the door slammed open, Olivia looked up to see Lily entering the dorm, still looking livid. Lily shoot a glance at Olivia's bed, then frowned.

"Muggle devices don't work here, you know. They go haywire because of all the magic in the air."

"I know that," Olivia said softly. "But I let them run on magic, not on electricity."

"Why do you keep a record player anyway?" Lily asked curiously.

Olivia shrugged. "I really like music, and I don't want to miss it when I'm not at home. So over the holidays I figured something out that might work." As she said this she took her wand from her pocked, checked the book and then tapped the record player. "Impigritas," she muttered. She didn't want to risk casting it non – verbally since it was important the spell worked.

Then she waved her wand to the needle of the record player, muttering "Paellego". The record player should now fuel on magic, and the needle should be able to read records. This only left dealing with the headphones. Olivia cast a basic Sonorus charm on the headphones, then added "Decresendo" to lower the volume to a pleasant level. Then she went through her records, and picked 'Kind of Blue' by Miles Davis. Lily had come over to her bed to watch her actions, and smiled when she saw Olivia's choice.

"I didn't know you listened to muggle music," she said happily.

Olivia smiled, looking up to Lily who was watching her with big emerald eyes. "I prefer muggle music over wizard's. Somehow they seem to be much more creative." And without any further ado, she put on her headphones and listened to the first song filling her mind. The song, called 'So What' was one of her favourites, sounding very laid – back and just generally _cool_. Lily watched her with a thoughtful, yet amused expression on her face and then went to her own bed, chatting with Joan.

Olivia took her Charms book from her bedside table, and started to read while listening to the music. She had finished two chapters by the time the album ended, and was therefore one lesson ahead of Professor Flitwick. It seemed like silencing charms would come up soon. Olivia placed her headphones under her bed, next to the record player so she wouldn't accidentally step on them in the morning. She sent her Charms book back in her trunk with a Banishing Charm, managing to cast it non – verbally though it landed a bit more to the left than she intended, crushing the cinnamon muffins she got earlier that day. With the theme of 'So What' still playing in her mind, Olivia fell asleep.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for reading! This chapter was mostly filler-ish and descriptive, but it felt necessary. The music mentioned in this chapter is the album 'Kind of Blue' by Miles Davis. All rights belong to the artist in question. The part on non - verbal spells is a mixture of information from the books, Pottermore, and my own imagination.**


	3. Flamingo's and Quidditch

**Chapter 3: Flamingo's and Quidditch**

Tuesday morning brought the expected start – of – term prank by the Marauders. When most of the students had entered the Great Hall for breakfast, instead of the regular owl – post a flock of scarlet and golden flamingo's invaded the Hall. They shrieked panicky, trashing everything in sight, and seemed to focus their attacks on the Slytherin Table, who quickly ducked under their table while some older students tried to fight them off. Not able to keep up appearances, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter roared with laughter as they high – fived each other.

"I was wondering what they'd planned," Olivia said conversationally, dodging a madly cackling flamingo as if it happened everyday. Liz seemed a lot more panicky, holding Olivia's Potion's book as a shield in front of her.

"If one of those stupid birds messes with my hair, those housemates of yours will never know what hit them!" she shouted angrily, knocking away a flamingo with the book.

"Nice shot," Olivia said impressed. "You'd make an excellent beater."

"And have everyone thinking I was a boy? I don't bloody think so!" Liz almost shrieked. Emma Jordans, one of the Gryffindor beaters, shot Liz an angry glance. Olivia her an apologetic look, but she didn't think Emma noticed as a particularly aggressive flamingo had knocked over a big bowl of porridge on the small beater, drenching her from top to toe. Olivia flicked her wand and thought "Scourgify". The porridge disappeared, leaving a very disgruntled Emma. She snatched her bag from under the table and strode out of the Great Hall, obviously in a very bad mood.

"I'd better go, we have double Potions with the Slytherins coming up," Olivia said to Liz, who was still holding her Potions Book looking around nervously. "And I might need that," she added drily, snatching her book from Liz' grip. "See you later!" she said lazily, standing up from their bench and heading towards the dungeons.

Potions wasn't one of her best classes, but also not her worst. That special spot was reserved for Herbology. Olivia spotted Emma already sitting at one of the middle tables, and joined her. She heard the dark – haired girl muttering to herself angrily. Something about "stupid gits" and "can play Quidditch as well as any damn bloke" and "giggling cows". Olivia kept silent, thinking it best to just let her teammate cool off on herself.

"Welcome back, 5th years," Slughorn said in his jovial voice. "To start off nicely, I will set you to work on the Draught of Peace. When brewed correctly, this potion will relieve anxiety and agitation, which could come in handy when you are studying for your OWLs. Now –" He clapped in his hands, looking around the dungeon. "Due to current… misfortunes we've got a bit of a problem with our ingredients stock. We've only got enough ingredients for one potion per two, so each of you will have to find yourselves a potions partner for the rest of the year."

"Do you think it has something to do with those attacks?" Emma whispered to Olivia. She nodded

"Must be. I bet foreign suppliers are getting scared, so they have to cut back when they don't find any new providers."

"Everyone paired up? The instructions are on page 165 in your textbook and the ingredients are in the cabinet. Good luck!" Slughorn set them to work, then immediately started to talk to Lily Evans and Severus Snape, who had already teamed up and sat in front of the class. Slughorn rarely paid attention to anyone who wasn't in the Slug Club, as some students called it. Olivia had been asked to join in her first year because her father was an important Healer from St Mungo's and came from an old wizarding family, but she had always refused. The whole idea of the Slug Club was much too stuck – up for her taste. She looked sideways to Emma, who seemed to have calmed down a little.

"Potions partners?" Olivia asked matter – of – fact.

"Potions partners," Emma nodded in her curt way. They set to work quietly, both being comfortable with silence. Olivia realised she didn't really know Emma well, even though they were in the same team. They rarely talked outside of Quidditch, and she had noticed Emma seemed more comfortable with male friends. Olivia had the impression Emma didn't particularly like her, but at least she didn't distinctly dislike her like with Joan, Lily and Mary. So she was surprised when Emma broke the silence.

"How come you never get any comments on behaving like a bloke even though you also play Quidditch?" Emma muttered quickly, as if she wanted to say it out loud before she changed her mind. Olivia thought about this.

"I don't know really. Maybe it's the long hair that prevents them from being confused." She shot Emma a quick glance, wondering if it this was what she was upset about. "Why do you care anyway? You always seem comfortable with who you are, no matter what people say. Not a lot of girls can say that."

Emma shrugged. "I don't really. It's just that I'd like to be both, you know. Behave the way I wanted without people needing to put me in a box."

Olivia nodded understandingly. She added syrup of hellebore to their potion until it turned turquoise, thinking about why Emma suddenly had decided to confide in her. She had the distinct impression the girl had wanted a female friend, someone who shared the same interests but could also relate to those things guys just couldn't. But the boyish, daring and loud beater didn't get along well with girls like Lily, Mary and Joan. And Olivia had never taken the trouble to get to know her.

"Are you set on doing anything about it or not?" she asked, checking their instructions. It said to let it simmer until it turned purple. She looked up from her book and noticed Emma watching her with a strange expression on her face. "What?" Olivia asked uncomfortable.

"You got me thinking…" Emma said thoughtfully, then fell silent. Realising this was all the explanation she was going to get, Olivia turned her attention back to their potion.

"Right, do you have the powdered Porcupine Quills?" she asked, checking her textbook. Emma nodded and handed her the jar. They added the Quills until the potion turned red, then stirred it so it became a reddish orange.

"Rats, the potion's supposed to be orange," Emma muttered frowning. Olivia checked her book, then the potion.

"Looks good enough for me," she said, waving her hand indifferently. They worked silently on their potion for the remaining class, and Olivia was surprised to realise it had turned out quite well. Not as good as Snape's and Lily's, but not nearly as bad as Joan's and Mary's potion, which seemed to be developing a will of its own. She and Emma left a vial of their potion on Slughorn's desk and walked to the courtyard for morning break, where they were joined by Liam. He had several small wounds on his forearms and something what looked like a nasty cut on his cheek.

"Bloody stupid birds," he muttered angrily, while Olivia was howling with laughter, not even pretending to be sorry. He shot her a nasty glance. "We'll see who's laughing at Quidditch training this evening," he exclaimed loudly.

"Well, since you're the Keeper and therefore have to guard the goals, I'm not too worried," Olivia sniggered. "Now, if Emma here was angry with me, I'd be on my guard. She has a bat you know," she added in a serious tone. Liam glared at her, then rolled his eyes.

"She has a point," Emma remarked drily.

"Ok that's it, you girls are going down tonight," he said menacingly, but a twitch on the corner of his mouth gave away his amusement.

"Consider it a date, Liam," Olivia said sweetly, patting him on the back. Liam groaned and took off without saying another word to them. As the bell rang, she walked to the Arithmancy classroom on the 3rd floor. It was one of her favourite subjects, because she liked the abstract thinking and the security the numbers provided her. There were logical rules to be followed, and she liked being able to work out a difficult task with only her brains to help her. Liz didn't take this class, preferring "real magical classes over some joking around with numbers and symbols". Mostly Ravenclaws took the class though, but the Gryffindors had lessons with Hufflepuff. There were three other students from Gryffindor who took Arithmancy: Remus Lupin, Sirius Black and (surprisingly) Joan Ellery.

Olivia took a place on the front left of the classroom, preferring a seat alone. Professor Vector introduced them to several new symbols and techniques to prove a hypothesis, then set them to work with new extended charts. She felt completely calm, solving each puzzle and working her way through the set tasks. The magical properties of numbers had always fascinated her, and the more she learnt about their influences on each other the more she seemed to like it.

The rest of the day passed by uneventful, except during History of Magic where one of the remaining flamingo's (the red and gold had started to fade) interrupted the class. Professor Binns didn't even look up from his notes as the giant bird ran around the classroom.

When the lessons had finished for the day, Olivia went to the Library and set to write a letter to Katie as she had promised.

_Dear Katie_

_This morning the Marauders released a huge flock of flamingo's painted in the Gryffindor colours (red and gold) in the Great Hall. They attacked most of the Slytherins, although there were also victims among other houses when the flamingo's got bored. Liz' face was priceless, she even knocked a few away with my Potions book. _

_Anyway, how's my favourite werewolf? Full moon's next week, so I'll be thinking about you. I already have a load of homework, but I can manage. Most of the stuff is pretty interesting anyway. I'll show you some of my new textbooks when I visit you during the Christmas Holidays. _

_See you soon, _

_Olivia_

_P.S Do you want me to bring some of that Zonko chocolate you love when I visit you?_

She sealed her letter, stuffing it in her bag so that she could take it to the Owlery some time later. She still had to write to her parents, something that she had completely forgotten about. Knowing her mom, she would already be freaking out. Olivia sighed, and got a fresh sheet of parchment from her bag, writing a quick note to her parents that everything was going well and that she'd been very busy.

She took a longer but more secluded route to the Owlery, following a secret passageway that run around the outer side of the castle, giving her a beautiful view of the grounds. Olivia had a thorough knowledge of the Castle's secret passageways, because she always had been very curious about it and had spent days wandering around the castle on her own during her first years. She still did, as a matter of fact, but less frequently. When she entered the Owlery she was greeted with the usual soft hooting of thousands of owls. Spotting the School Owl she always used, a large barn owl, she whistled softly to lure it down. Her parents and Ella had an owl of their own, but Olivia didn't, and Ella didn't like it when she used hers. She tied the letter to her parents to the owl's leg, and chose a smaller church owl for the letter to Katie, since he didn't have to travel that far. As she stood by the window to watch the two owls soar away, someone came in.

"Hello Lupin," Olivia said looking over her shoulder. The boy startled, obviously not having noticed someone else in the room.

"Hi Wright," he smiled his slightly crooked grin. She looked for signs of the full moon approaching, but since it was still a week away he didn't seem affected yet. He would grow more and more moody during the week, waking up with aching joints and muscles, feeling exhausted and possibly feverish. She knew the signs all too well.

"Quidditch practice later, right?" he suddenly asked conversationally. Olivia nodded silently.

"How do you know, though?" she asked frowning slightly.

"James. Couldn't talk about anything else today," Remus said, attaching his letter to an impressive black owl.

"Is that one yours?" she asked, eyeing the owl. Somehow she couldn't imagine the magnificent animal belonging to him.

"Nah, it's Sirius'," he said, shaking his head. "He lets me use it. It's not like I could afford such an Owl," he muttered, more to himself. Olivia nodded.

"You got some feathers in your hair," she observed. Several fluffy feather were sticking out of his sandy locks, giving him a slightly dim impression. She waved her wand and the feathers disappeared.

"Thanks," Remus said, ruffling his hair. He then looked at her shrewdly. "Since when do you know non – verbal spells?" he asked, looking slightly impressed. "We're not supposed to learn them until next year." Olivia looked a bit uncomfortable.

"I taught myself, actually. I really wanted to learn them," she said, looking out of the window. "Anyway –" she continued in a stronger voice – "I should get downstairs for dinner. Get my strength up for Quidditch practice, as you said." She walked out of the Owlery, noticing Remus looking at her with an amused expression on his face. Probably laughing at her for wanting to learn non – verbal spells a year ahead.

"See you, Wright."

Olivia didn't respond, already descending the stairs. She still had to get her broom and Quidditch gear from her trunk.

After dinner she walked to the Quidditch Pitch with Liam and the fourth – year Chaser Troy Harrison, who were discussing the looks of some 4th year Hufflepuff she didn't know. Glad to be separated from them, she entered the girl's changing room with Emma already there. Nobody would guess that the small, skinny girl would be able to even swing a bat, but Emma was an incredible Beater. How all that strength fitted in her small body was a mystery. Olivia pulled her Quidditch robes over her head and together the girls walked to the pitch, carrying their brooms.

"Ok men," Evan Hamilton, the other Beater and Captain barked, pacing to and fro in front of the team. "I don't see any reason why we wouldn't win the Quidditch Cup this year. We don't need to keep trials, since Fenn here agreed to play Chaser permanently." He nodded in the direction of Andrew Fenn, a fourth – year who had played reserve Chaser the previous season, but had flown so well Evan hadn't thought twice and asked him to fill the spare position of Chaser as soon as he got the chance. Unsurprisingly, Andrew sported a big excited grin on his face. "So we have the advantage of not needing to work in a new player," Evan ended, pausing his pacing to look at all the players. "Not to mention, we have got the best Chaser in the school," he added as an afterthought, referring to James. "Right. So I have set up a training schedule for 3 trainings a week and one each weekend." This comment was met with an incredulous stare from all the players (except maybe James, who looked as if Christmas had come early). "I realise this is a lot, but I'm sure you'll manage. Now, let's get started!"

The seven players mounted their brooms and set off. They warmed up by throwing the Quaffle back and forth, increasingly trying to make it difficult for one another. When they were sufficiently warmed up, Evan ordered the Chasers to work on their Hawkshead Attacking Formation and released the two Bludgers and the Snitch. From now on, Olivia task was to catch the Snitch as quickly as possible. She gave the Snitch a two – minute lead, then soared after it. Her new broom was incredible: it changed direction at the lightest touch, making rapid turn almost easy. A strong wind whipping her hair, she focused all her thoughts on catching the Snitch, and soon it was the only thing that seemed to exist. Olivia didn't even know how the rest of the team was doing. She spotted the Snitch flying next to one of the Ravenclaw stands and raced after it. After a particularly sharp bend, she managed to grasp it and flew back to her teammates. They seemed to be doing well, especially the Chasers who were well working together, even though James outshone them easily.

"Good work, Olivia!" Evan shouted from his broom, beating away an approaching Bludger. "Try to keep a bit more attention to your teammates during a match, they might be in trouble sometimes."

"Got it!" Olivia shouted back. It was true, when she started looking for the Snitch everything else seemed to disappear from her thoughts. Most of the time that was a good thing, but it didn't hurt to keep one eye on the game, so to speak. As it became too dark to play, the Gryffindor team made their way to the changing rooms, feeling satisfied but exhausted with tonight's training. After almost falling asleep in the shower, Olivia and Emma had to drag themselves to the Gryffindor Tower. Olivia didn't even have the energy left to listen to her music, let alone finish her Transfiguration Essay. Tiredly, she dozed off in a deep sleep.

* * *

**A/N: This is one of the shortest chapters and generally more filler-ish, sorry for that. Just felt right to stop there. Thanks for reading!**


	4. An Unexpected Tutor

**Chapter 4: An Unexpected Tutor**

The following days passed uneventful, although there were ominous reports about more disappearances and attacks. This resulted in a grim mood during their first Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson on Thurday.

"Good morning, class," Professor Vaughan said with a musical lilt to his voice. It was clear he was from Wales. "As I'm sure you all have heard, this year is most important. You will have to take your OWL's at the end of this year, and I will do my best to help you through them." He had a calm sort of voice, immediately grasping the class' attention. "Now, let's tell you a bit more about myself and why I'm here. I'm involved in the Auror Program, as a duelling instructor and specialist. Therefore, this year will mainly focus on duelling skills and improving them." He looked around the class, apparently seizing them up. "So to start, I will pair you up and one half of the class will cast a Shield Charm, while the other half will attempt to break it or Disarm you." Professor Vaughan nodded to James, who had raised his hand.

"Can we pick our own partners, Professor?" he asked with a grin on his face, eyes lit excitedly.

"No Mr Potter, I think it's better to duel someone as objectively as possible, and therefore I will decide on you duelling partner for the rest of the year," Vaughan responded with a small smile. "Now, let's see…" he got his list from the table and started looking it through. "Peter Pettigrew?"

"Here," Peter squeaked in his high voice, looking nervous. Vaughan nodded.

"You can go with Dorcas Meadowes." A blonde Ravenclaw girl with wide brown eyes, looking a bit unhappy, strode towards Peter.

"Lily Evans?" Lily raised her hand, her emerald eyes glinting expectantly. Olivia saw James trying to draw the Professor's attention, obviously wanting to be her partner.

"You can go with Remus Lupin." Remus smiled at her, causing Lily to look very relieved. They were rather good friends.

"Liz Ortega?" Liz looked at Vaughan, raising her eyebrows. "You can go with David Collins." Liz immediately strode to her housemate, smiling cockily at the tall dark – haired boy who looked very pleased. Vaughan continued to pair students up in a seemingly random fashion.

"Olivia Wright?" Olivia raised her hand, waiting for her verdict. "You can partner with Sirius Black." Vaughan rolled up his list, then faced the class. Olivia cursed inwardly. Sirius was the best in their DADA class, closely followed by Remus although James was a tad better at duelling. Olivia's Shield Charm was strong, but she wasn't good at casting curses or jinxes. She could only hope her protective spells would hold.

"Alright everyone, pair up. The right side will start with trying to break the other's Shield Charm, and the left side will try to hold their Shield Charm for as long as possible." Vaughan placed himself in front of his desk, eyeing the students. "Go!" he shouted.

Olivia immediately cast a non – verbal Shield Charm, feeling a bit more reassured as she felt it was as strong as when she'd have cast it verbally. Sirius, not realizing she had already cast her charm, shot a lazy Bat – Bogey Hex at Olivia, obviously not expecting any difficulties. When it rebounded, he frowned and rolled up his sleeves.

"Cast your Shield Charm non – verbally, eh?" he droned lazily. "We'll see how long it'll hold." He shook his dark hair out of his eyes, and smirken arrogantly. "Stupefy!"

Olivia felt the power of the spell, but her Shield held. Sirius looked disgruntled, his grey eyes watching her with an annoyed expression. She cast an additional Strengthening Charm, something she had learned last year to keep her Shield strong. She braced herself, pushing her long locks out of her eyes with one hand, then gave him a teasing smile. He seemed momentarily flabbergasted by her nerve, then eagerly accepted the unspoken challenge. Casting several Stunning Spells, each of them becoming stronger, he managed to weaken Olivia's Shield. She frowned, and focused on her Shield, casting her Strengthening Charm again. Sirius' spells were bouncing off her Shield in every direction, and students started to seek cover from the rebounding spells.

"Alright, that's quite enough! Miss Wright, Mr Black, if you would lower your wands please?" Professor Vaughan shouted. Olivia and Sirius did as they were bid, panting slightly. Vaughan looked at them with an amused expression on his face. "That was very good. I see that Mr Black is excellent with curses, but I must say I was surprised by the strength of your Shield Charm Miss Wright. You each deserve 10 points to Gryffindor, as well as Mr Lupin for his excellent Disarming Spell." Sirius grinned and gave Remus a high five.

"Now," Vaughan continued in a louder voice, "you will switch roles. The left side will attempt to shatter the other one's Shield Charm, and the right side will try to keep it up. You may begin."

Olivia bit her lip. Sirius had already cast his Shield Charm, looking at her expectantly. She was sure she wouldn't be able to break it, since her curses were rather mediocre, but she couldn't stand there doing nothing. She took a deep breath and muttered and send a Bat Bogey Hex at Sirius. It wasn't very strong and didn't hit his Shield precisely where she had planned, but she got the impression his Shield Charm wasn't that strong. Smiling at the irony, she cast a Stunning Spell at his Shield which weakened it but didn't manage to break it. Around her, her classmates were either doing well or struggling. Lily was putting up a good fight, her auburn hair dancing as she cast hexes trying to break Remus' Shield Charm, but Olivia had the impression Remus was going easy on her. James was lazily leaning back against the wall, his opponent's wand already twirling in his hand. Liz and her partner David Collins weren't even trying, flirting with each other instead.

"Alright class, that's enough for today," Professor Vaughan shouted. "I now have a good impression of the general level, so we'll be able to work to improve everyone's duelling. I want a 6 feet paper by next lesson, describing your own strengths and weaknesses on duelling and how you could improve."

The class chatted excitedly as they left the classroom. Olivia hastily packed her bag, meaning to go to the kitchens for a quick bite, but she had to alter her plans at the end of the corridor.

"Oi! Wright!" Sirius shouted, walking towards her.

"Black?" Olivia responded, heaving her satchel over her shoulder.

"How come your Shield Charm is so strong?" he asked, frowning slightly. Olivia shrugged.

"I've been practicing on it a lot since 4th year. Bound to pay off, isn't it?"

"Why a Shield Charm, though?" James asked, joining them. "There're so many briljant curses that you could learn."

"Casting curses isn't one of my stronger points, in case you haven't noticed," Olivia said drily. The whole situation seemed a bit surreal to her.

"Fair point," Sirius admitted, his grey eyes glinting with amusement.

"Well, your Shield Charm wasn't exactly mind blowing either," she retorted. They had entered the Great Hall for lunch, and as she sat down Sirius, James, Remus and Peter seated themselves next to her. Liz, sitting at the Ravenclaw table, shot her a questioning glance. Olivia shrugged, as confused with the situation as she was.

"Maybe, but I won't need a Shield Charm when I defeat my opponents before they even have the chance of taking their wand." Sirius said with his mouth full of sandwiches. Remus looked at him with an amused smile.

"Mate, since your spells didn't break Olivia's Shield Charm, you may want to reconsider that statement," he pointed out drily, reaching for a beef sandwich. Sirius looked disgruntled, then something seemed to get him thinking. He looked at Olivia with an excited expression in his stormy eyes.

"What?" she muttered uncomfortably. She didn't trust that look at all.

"We should tutor each other!" he shouted excitedly. She choked on her goblet of orange juice. Sirius had gone bonkers, there was no other explanation. She turned to James, ready to share an incredulous look, but he looked thoughtful.

"Padfoot, that might just be a good idea," James said slowly.

"You can't be serious," Olivia said, looking sceptically from one to another. _Wait,' Padfoot'?_ She shook her head, trying to focus on the matter at hand. The whole idea was ridiculous. Sirius Black tutoring her? _Yeah right_, she snorted.

"Of course I'm Sirius!" Sirius shouted in mock offense. She rolled her eyes at the bad pun.

"Yeah, and I'm always Wright," she muttered drily. James seemed to find this very funny, since he was roaring with laughter.

"No, seriously –" Sirius' mouth twitched, trying to hold back laughter –"I think this might be a good idea. You teach me defensive spells, and I'll teach you how to attack"

Olivia thought about this. Merlin knew she could use help in the curse department. And Sirius Black was probably the best dueller in the school. So all in all, there was no real objection she could have to the arrangement.

"It's a deal," she said, shaking Sirius' hand. His grey eyes twinkled and he smiled broadly, the usual slightly arrogant look completely gone. _It suits him_, she thought.

"So when and where do you think we should meet?" she asked, turning her attention to her food. He thought for a few minutes, playing with his goblet.

"What about Sundays?" he proposed. Olivia was just in the process of stuffing a second sandwich in her mount so she opted for nodding agreeingly. James looked at her with an amused expression on his face.

"You're not very lady – like, are you Wright?" he chuckled. Olivia glared at him, still devouring her sandwich, then swallowed.

"Not when we have you to set the example, Potter. You might want to check your hair, you haven't run your hand through it in the last 30 seconds," she retorted. Sirius barked with laughter at her comment, and Remus eyed her appreciatively. Peter nervously looked at James, clearly wondering if it would be okay to laugh with him.

"She's got a point there, Prongs," Remus said with a smile. James threw the remainder of his sandwich at him, which he narrowly dodged and hit Peter instead. This had the boys in a fit of laughter again in no time. Olivia decided it was time to leave the Marauders to their business.

"See you on Sunday then, let's say 2 pm in the Common Room? We can decide where we'll practice then," she asked addressing Sirius.

"Sounds good."

Olivia left the table, still slightly confused about the way the day had turned out.

"See you later, Wright," she heard Sirius shout after her, practically hearing the smirk in his voice. Feeling several students staring curiously at her, she rolled her eyes and fastened her pace, heading for the Ancient Runes classroom.

"Let me get this straight. You are going to tutor Sirius Black?" Liz asked incredulously, her dark eyes sceptical. It was Friday evening and Olivia and Liz were sitting in the Light Room, a crate of butterbeer next to them.

"Yup," Olivia commented, taking a sip from her butterbeer. She didn't understand why Liz was so worked up about it. Sure, it was a bit odd, but considering how the DADA lesson had went it wasn't that strange.

"Merlin's left nipple, the poor bloke's never going to know what hit him," Liz said in awe. Olivia glared at her, but let it pass. Looking at the sun setting behind the lake, she gave a small sigh of contentment. She loved being in the Light Room. Liz and Olivia had discovered the room in their 2nd year, while wandering around the castle. The room was odd in a way that you had to sing or whistle a tune to get the door to open. But when you were inside, it was magical. The wall opposite of the door was entirely made out of glass, with stained glass details so the incoming light made a patchwork of colours on the floor. To top it off, the room was filled with small floating glass orbs in several colours, each one emitting a soft glow.

"So when are you two meeting?" Liz asked, reaching for a new butterbeer.

"Sunday around two. I got permission from Flitwick to use the Charms classroom," Olivia responded. "Anyway, change of subject! What's going on about you and a certain 5th year male from Ravenclaw?" She looked at her friend, who seemed quite pleased with herself.

"You could say we're dating."

"That's a nice word for snogging in broom cupboards."

"Piss off, Wright," Liz retorted sweetly. Olivia chuckled. They always bickered like this, insulting each other but never really meaning it. People always thought they were constantly fighting.

"As long as you're having fun," she muttered while stifling a yawn. It had become quite late and well after curfew.

"Oh I am," Liz sighed dreamingly. "Merlin, that bloke could untangle a Devil's Snare with his tongue."

Olivia choked on her Butterbeer, and shook her head trying to get rid of the image. After all these years she should've been used to Liz' vivid descriptions.

"Right, I think I'll be off. Got Quidditch training tomorrow morning." Still slightly flabbergasted, she got up from her chair. "You coming with me?"

Liz nodded, draining her butterbeer, and the girls walked together quietly. When they were strolling through a corridor on the 3rd floor, they suddenly heard a noise. Liz cocked her head sideways, listening intently, then smiled gleefully.

"Sounds like some people are getting it off," she whispered, motioning Olivia to follow her. Before Olivia could even shake her head in disagreement, Liz violently opened a door to an empty classroom. A girl's voice shrieked, followed by a male voice swearing loudly.

"Didn't know you were such a ladies' man, Lupin!" Liz shouted happily. "Might want to move you hand in the opposite direction next time, it really gets a girl – "

"What in Merlin's name are you doing?" Olivia hissed angrily, pulling Liz out of the doorway.

"Oh come on Olivia, this is hilarious!" Liz laughed.

Olivia muttered angrily, dragging her friend along until they were out of earshot.

"You know you find it funny," Liz commented drily, having calmed down a little. Olivia's mouth twitched, and before she knew it she was roaring with laughter, tears streaming down her face.

"I whish I had seen his face," Olivia laughed, gasping for breath. "You are unbelievable, Ortega."

"I know," Liz hiccoughed, drying her eyes. "I'd better get to my Common Room. It's a miracle Filch hasn't found us yet given all the noise we've been making." She waved at Olivia, still chuckling and disappeared in the dark. Olivia shook her head. This week couldn't get any weirder.

After Quidditch training on Saturday morning, Olivia had to drag herself to the Great Hall for lunch. It had been a particularly exhausting session and she already found herself in need of coffee.

"Olivia?" She looked up, finding Lily standing next to her.

"What's up Lily," Olivia mumbled sleepily. Maybe a nap in the afternoon wasn't such a bad idea….

"You got a letter this morning, but you were already gone to the Quidditch Pitch so I kept it for you." She handed Olivia the letter.

"Oh, thanks!" Olivia said happily. Katie had probably written back.

"No problem. See you later!" Lily went back to where her friends Joan and Mary were sitting. Olivia tucked the letter away in her satchel, deciding to read it in private. She grabbed a few sandwiches to take with her and decided to go to the Room of Requirement. She really didn't feel like having people around her, so the Room was the perfect place to go.

When Olivia entered the Room of Requirement, it was as she had always found it. A grand piano standing in the middle of the room, a record player next to it and some comfy chairs. She nibbled at a sandwich as she sat herself at the piano, deciding on what to play. She had played the piano since she was 6, following lessons from a muggle teacher in her hometown. During the first few years in Hogwarts she had to miss practicing the piano, but with the discovery of the Room of Requirement that had changed. She came here whenever she felt like it, and most of all when she didn't felt like seeing people. Which happened at least several times a week.

A stack of sheet music had appeared on a table next to the piano, all by her favourite composers. She chose a piece by Erik Satie, 'Gnossienne nr 1' and set to learn it. Most of the times Satie was easy to learn, so she quickly mastered the piece, which was a beautiful, mysterious and slightly melancholic tune. Olivia quickly found herself calming down from the past week, pushing everything away in some corner of her mind so only the simple music remained. Her slender fingers danced slowly over the keys with an easy grace. She wasn't one for dramatic gestures and expression when playing the piano, and even didn't like it at all when people heard her playing. This was a private thing.

When she had played the piece several times, she turned her attention towards Katie's letter. Her handwriting was neat and unassuming, representing her quiet character.

_Dear Olivia, _

_I nearly laughed my ass off when you described that prank! There're definitely some creative individuals in your school. I whish I could have seen your friend hitting a flamingo with a book. Next time, try to get a picture or something._

_Life has been quiet, as always. Full moon's in a few weeks and the nights are getting longer, so I'm not exactly looking forward to it, but I'll manage. I started reading some books by a muggle author and they're really good, so that keeps my attention. I'd love to see another one of your textbooks though, especially those on Ancient Runes. Anyway, keep up with the homework, you'll pull it off. _

_And yes: please, please bring me chocolate. _

_Love, _

_Katie_

Olivia smiled as she read the letter over again. It was nice to hear from Katie. She was glad she'd have some interesting stuff to tell in her next letter, and decided to wait until after she'd had her first tutoring session with Sirius. Which reminded her, she still had to finish her Transfiguration essay and the rest of her homework that had piled up during the week. But before she tackled that problem, Olivia decided to listen to a few more songs and play some of her favourites. She put on a record of Claude Debussy and laid herself flat on the floor, closing her eyes and listening to the soft music. _I really should learn something by Debussy in the future,_ she thought, when a particular song started playing. Sitting up, she checked the back of the album for the title. "Clair de lune", Olivia whispered, forming the unfamiliar words. That would be a difficult one, but not for now. She got up, packed her things and left the Room of Requirement with a last look at the grand piano.

Since Liz was probably spending her time in a more entertaining manner (which no doubt involved broom cupboards) she went to the Library on her own, finding a more remote table next to one of the larger windows. She liked to be able to look outside while she was studying. Pulling out her Transfiguration notes, she set to work and quickly had her essay finished. Olivia then went looking for a book on Fanged Geraniums to complete her drawing for Professor Sprout, indicating the different parts of the plant. The drawing itself wasn't very good, but at least she got all the parts right. She couldn't draw if her life depended on it. Some noise outside caused her to look up from her books, looking out of the window. James Potter, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew were on the grounds, clearly enjoying what could be the last warm day of the year. James was lazily casting Vanishing Charms on several objects, including Peter's eagle feather so that the small boy looked at him sadly but didn't dare to say anything. Sirius was chatting up some Ravenclaw girl by the lake, but Remus was nowhere to be seen. Olivia went back to her books, pulling out her Ancient Runes assignment and set to translate the text. When she was halfway, she noticed someone had come over to her corner of the Library.

"Hello Wright," a calm voice said. Olivia looked up and saw Remus Lupin standing next to her table.

"Hey Lupin," Olivia said absently. "Haven't seen you around lately." Only then she remembered the Friday – night incident, and chuckled inwardly. Remus clearly remembered it too, because a faint flush had appeared on his cheeks.

"Yeah… right. I actually came here to ask you if you'd like to study on Arithmancy together. You're on the top of the class and I could use some help," he said uncomfortably. Olivia frowned.

"I didn't know you had problems with Arithmancy, Lupin. You always seem to do all right."

"Yes, but I don't really get the advanced techniques yet and I don't want to fall behind," he explained. Olivia nodded.

"Sure. Let me just finish this Ancient Runes assignment." Without waiting for response, Olivia went back to her translation. Remus sat himself on the opposite side of her, pulling out 'Numerology and Grammatica'. As he started reading, she finished her translation and put it away in her bag.

"So which parts do you have problems with?" she asked, going through her textbook.

"Mostly with the calculus method to determine the outcome of different variables," he said frowning, his light brown eyes thoughtful.

"That's a difficult one. But it's really interesting once you get it!" Olivia exclaimed maybe a bit too enthusiastically, as Remus chuckled at her excitement. She started to explain the method, cutting it down to basic understandable facts. Remus quickly got the hang of it and didn't need a lot of explaining, so they were able to finish the rest of their homework as well, chatting occasionally. All in all, she was surprised she had had a nice afternoon.

After dinner, Olivia took her small record player from her dorm to the Common Room. She had finished her homework, so she settled in one of the comfy armchairs near the fire, sitting sideway so she could swing her legs over on of the armrests. She put on her headphones, chose a record and folded open the Sunday Prophet for the extra – large crossword.

The Common Room slowly became more crowded, then more quieter again as students went to bed, but she didn't notice since she was completely engrossed in her crossword puzzle. She vaguely noticed Lily and James fighting again, eventually resulting in Lily dangling him upside – down from the boys' staircase. A few hours later she had replayed the record several times, the last few times skipping a few songs so that she could listen to her favourite, 'Like a Rolling Stone'. The only students left in the Common Room were James, Sirius, Remus, Peter and some 6th – year girls who were reading Witch Weekly, giggling amongst themselves.

_'How does it feel, How does it feel _

_To be on your own, With no direction home _

_Like a complete unknown, Like a rolling stone?'_

Olivia hadn't realised she was humming along quietly with the song. She finished the crossword, happy with her accomplishment, and started to look around the Common Room. Liam had already gone to bed, frustrated that she had as good as ignored him while she was working on her puzzle. But he knew her by now, so he probably wouldn't be mad about it.

"What's with all the crazy equipment, Wright?' a voice to her right said. She jumped up in surprise, she hadn't realised someone was standing next to her chair. She looked up to find Sirius eyeing her curiously.

"This is just a normal record player. I use it to listen to music," she stated the obvious.

"Really? Neat," Sirius grinned, as if it was the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen. Olivia knew he came from an old, and rather dark wizarding family, but surely he must've encountered a record player by now.

"That's what Muggles use, don't they?' James interrupted, also eyeing the record player with interest. Olivia suspected his interest in Muggle artefacts had mostly to do with Lily being Muggle – born. He even took Muggle Studies, trying to learn as much as he could about the world Lily came from.

"Yes, they do," she answered, then hesitated slightly. "Do you want to try it?"

"Of course!" James and Sirius exclaimed in chorus.

"All right. So you put those things on your ears," she instructed Sirius, placing the headphones over his dark hair. He was grinning broadly, happy as a child in a sweet store. When Olivia put on the song 'Like a Rolling Stone' again, he gave a small yelp of excitement.

"Merlin's pants, this is bloody terrific!" he shouted, not realising Olivia and James could hear him fine. He listened to the whole song, grinning like a madman the whole time. "Let me hear another one," he asked eagerly.

"Come on Padfoot, it's my turn," James nagged impatiently, snatching the headphones from Sirius' head. He tried to place them on his head, but somehow failed so Olivia had to help him. She let him hear 'My Generation' by The Who, thinking he might like it. Surely, he was listening intently having a slightly idiotic smile on his face.

"Muggle music is great! How come they have so many different kinds of music?" James asked Olivia enthusiastically.

"I don't know for sure, but generally I think they're more creative than us in a different way, not knowing magic and all. Maybe that has something to do with it," she responded.

"What music do you listen to?" Remus had also joined them, looking through her records.

"Bit of everything really. I like classical music, but also rock and funk and jazz. Miles Davis is one of my favourite artists, as well as Erik Satie, The Ramones, Queen, The Who, Pink Floyd,…just a lot, really," she said, counting off her fingers.

"I want to hear them!" Sirius interrupted, looking excited.

"Eh, okay. I think you might like this one." She held up a record by Black Sabbath.

"It has my name on it!" he said gobsmacked. She had to laugh at this.

"Now you mention it. This song is called 'Paranoid'. There you go"

Sirius was soon bobbing his head along with the music. Then James asked for more, and even Peter joined them. Remus just watched the whole scene with an amused expression on his face. Having a muggle mother, he was familiar with their music and therefore not as excited as his mates. After a while Olivia had come to the conclusion that Sirius liked the harder work like The Who, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and The Ramones, while James absolutely adored The Beatles. Peter had a rather endearing preference to Abba, and Remus swore by Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix. He surprised Olivia by displaying a thorough knowledge of jazz, listing Miles Davis and Dexter Gordon among his favourites. It was past 1 am when she finally convinced them to let her go to bed.

"Look, I'm really tired, and if you don't let me go to sleep this moment I will murder you with a fork during our tutoring session," she said icily to Sirius. "And then I'm coming after you lot," she added threatening to Remus, James and Peter. They seemed to have grasped the message, and went up to their dormitory. As she laid in her bed, one part of her mind vaguely wondered how she had ended up discussing muggle music with the Marauders. But before she could think about it more she fell in a uneasy sleep, where somehow the Marauders had replaced the Beatles. Turning on her pillow, she managed to drift into more simple dreams.

* * *

**A/N: So, any thoughts? How do you think the tutoring will go? What did you think of the music scene with the Marauders? Anyway, a lot of music mentioned in this chapter. The classical pieces mentioned are 'Gnossiene n1' by Erik Satie and 'Clair de lune' by Claude Debussy. The lyrics in this chapter are from the song 'Like a Rolling Stone' by Bob Dylan. The other songs mentioned are 'My Generation' by The Who and 'Paranoid' by Black Sabbath. The other artists mentioned are Miles Davis, The Ramones, Queen, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Abba, Jimi Hendrix and Dexter Gordon. All rights belong to the artists in question, no copyright infringement intended. Thanks for reading, reviews are always welcome!**


	5. Anger Issues

**Chapter 5: Anger Issues**

"Olivia, wake up," a female voice said. Olivia groaned and rolled over, pulling the blankets over her head.

"Come on Olivia, there's someone waiting for you," the voice sounded more impatiently. Maybe if she'd ignore it the voice would go away.

"For Merlin's sake Wright, I haven't got all day!" Blankets were snatched away, and she was nudged in the side, causing her to yelp indignantly.

"What the bloody hell was that for?" she grumbled, squeezing her eyes shut against the harsh light. "It's like, 6 in the morning for Merlin's sake."

"No it's not Olivia, it's 2 pm and according to Sirius you two have an appointment." She now recognised the impatient voice as Lily's.

"2 in the afternoon?" Olivia repeated quietly. Lily gave a curt nod, crossing her arms.

"Now I'd appreciate it if you went downstairs so that Black will stop annoying me."

"Yeah sure, just a minute." Olivia blindly grabbed around in her trunk, finding her denim shorts and some black over – knee stockings. She put on a dark red jumper which was a bit too large and quickly brushed her teeth. Snatching her wand from her bedside table and a pair of boots from under her bed, she ran out of the dormitory. She hopped off the spiral staircase on one leg, trying to get her boot on and knocked over a tiny first year who had been climbing the stairs.

"Sorry!" she shouted over her shoulder, putting on the other boot.

"You've been sleeping 'till 2?" Sirius stood in the middle of the common room, arms crossed, every strand of hair perfectly in place. He looked at Olivia, hair dishevelled, poorly matched outfit and gasping for breath. Arching one eyebrow, he smirked. "It's not hard to tell."

"Piss off, Black," she replied calmly. She heard James chuckle from by the fireplace, pretending to read his Transfiguration textbook. As if anyone would ever believe he was studying.

"So, where do you think we can practice?" Sirius asked, still eyeing her with an amused glint in his eyes.

"Whoa, first things first, Black," Olivia said, raising her hands in defence. "I need to get coffee and breakfast. You don't want to encounter me without food in my system."

"Fine, I'd fancy a second lunch anyway. To the kitchens?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"To the kitchens," she nodded in agreement. Sirius looked a bit surprised at her response. He probably didn't expect her to do anything against the rules.

They walked down to the kitchens in silence. Olivia didn't mind, she was very comfortable with silence and didn't find it awkward like most people. Sirius, however, looked as if he was thinking very hard of something to talk about. Finally, he seemed to have found a subject.

"You've been to the kitchens before?" he asked conversationally.

"Since I discovered them in my second year," Olivia responded. Sirius again looked surprised at this, eyeing her quizzically.

"Discovered them? You wander around a lot on your own then?" he asked, hands in his pockets.

She nodded curtly. "I always thought Hogwarts was fascinating, and I really enjoy discovering secret passageways and strange rooms and all that. I guess I'm just a bit more curious than most people."

"Apparently you are," Sirius muttered under his breath. Not knowing if he had intended for her to hear it, she said nothing, tickling the Giant Pear on the painting that lead to the kitchens.

"Miss Wright! Mr Black! How nice of you to visit us!" Nettie said in her squeaky voice.

"Hi Nettie. How's your mom doing?" Olivia asked, smiling at the small elf. She always liked the occasional small – talk with the Elves, which was strange considering the fact that she hated small – talk with people.

"She is very much betters, miss!" Nettie responded with a broad grin. "How can we helps you miss and mister?"

"Some coffee, a stack of toast and a few cinnamon muffins would be nice, please," Olivia said politely.

"And some bacon sandwiches, thanks," Sirius muttered absently. Immediately six or seven elves came running, offering them the foods they had asked for, wrapped in napkins to keep it fresh. She stuffed everything in her small leather backpack she had brought with her so they could eat it during tutoring.

"So, since you have such a thorough knowledge of the castle, where should we go to practice?" Sirius asked, walking next to her with long strides.

"I think you and your mates know the castle better than me," she pointed out, "but the Charms classroom should be fine, Flitwick gave me permission."

"Got the whole thing planned out, haven't you," Sirius commented smiling. Olivia ignored his remark, climbing the marble staircase.

*

"For the last time, just attack me! I'm a 7th year Slytherin, ready to hex you to pieces," Sirius shouted exasperated. They had been practicing curses for hours now, but Olivia had made no progress whatsoever. Her hexes were either too weak or didn't hit the right target. Groaning in frustration, she wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"For fuck's sake," she muttered, raising her wand once more. "Stupefy!"

The red jet of light hit their dummy in the chest, causing it to waver slightly. She glared at it, as if it was its fault her spells were lousy. Sirius just sighed.

"At least you hit it right in the chest this time," he said tiredly. Pushing his dark hair out of his eyes, he looked at her. "I suggest we do something else, for change you know."

Olivia nodded relieved. She sat down on the floor, letting her head fall back against the cool stones, and grabbed one of the remaining muffins. Sirius sat himself next to her, taking the other one.

"So defensive spells next?" he asked her, picking at his muffin.

" Yup," Olivia mumbled. The session had been exhausting, but she already felt her energy returning. Pulling up her hair in a messy ponytail, she stood up. "Come on Black, we've got work to do!"

She reached out her hand, pulling Sirius up from his sitting position. He took out his wand and looked at her expectantly.

"Ok, so, protective spells," Olivia said, pacing to and fro, tapping her hand with her wand. "What if you just cast a Shield Charm, so I can see what exactly is wrong with it?" Sirius nodded, then raised his wand.

"Protego!" A blue – ish white Shield erupted in the middle of the room, between Sirius and Olivia. She walked towards it, eyeing it carefully. Some areas seemed stronger than others, which indicated its weakness. She cast a (admittedly poor) Stinging Hex to it, analyzing the effect. The Shield appeared to hold, but there were weak cracks in it and it seemed that it wouldn't be able to hold back a more serious attack. She waved her wand and the Shield vanished.

"That's rubbish," she commented, turning towards Sirius. He glared at her, but didn't say anything because he knew it was true. "This is what a Shield Charm should be like," she continued and raised her wand. Her Shield erupted in the middle of the room, the force of it throwing Sirius against the wall.

"Sorry," Olivia added sheepishly.

"Well, your curses were a joke too," Sirius muttered, clearly annoyed. "Just tell me how to do it, alright?"

Olivia nodded, vanishing her Shield with a flick of her wand. "It's all in your mind really. You have to completely grasp that this is _not _an attacking spell you're casting. It requires a different mindset."

"That's all very helpful, but how do I get there?" he snapped. Olivia frowned.

"It's hard to explain. You have to be calm and secure, like taking a step away from it all. Try to look at the situation in an objective way, as if you're a bystander." She thought for a few moments, then added, "and you definitely don't want to be too eager, or angry, or emotional. Just think with the rational part of your brain. If you're emotionally vulnerable, it will show in your magic."

Sirius looked at her in a strange way, as if he was trying to read her. "So you're saying I should think like a sociopath?" Olivia shrugged.

"If it helps you. Although I wouldn't call someone merely thinking rational a sociopath," muttered she defensively. She was like that all the time, and nobody called her a sociopath. To her face, at least.

"Okay, there we go," Sirius muttered, raising his wand. "Protego!".

Olivia shook her head. "The same as last time, Black," she said calmly. "Try again. Step back from the situation."

Sirius cursed under his breath, casting his Shield Charm once more.

"Better, but you need to be consistent. See these weak spots? It shows you're still not there. Again."

Sirius rolled up his sleeves, his grey eyes frustrated, and casted his Shield Charm again.

"Nope," she commented, shaking her head. "Pull yourself together, don't let your frustration own you. Try one more time."

"Protego!" The blue shield erupted, even weaker than last time. "MOTHERFU – "

"Snap out of it, Black!" Olivia shouted. "Your anger isn't going to help you."

"Well not everybody here is a bloody psychopath, Wright!" he shouted back. "Maybe it would help you if you were angry, so you could cast curses. How do you expect them to be powerful enough if you don't even feel anything, if you don't even care if they hit or not? If you want to hit someone, you've got to stop being so bloody rational all the time!" Sirius bellowed, his grey eyes stormy.

"That's all great, but since we're past my training your advice comes a bit too late, doesn't it?" Olivia responded, her voice thick with irony. Sirius merely glared at her, panting slightly.

"Maybe we should call it a day," he said, raking his hand through his hair.

"I agree," Olivia responded calmly, summoning her backpack with her wand. "It's nearly time for dinner anyway, we've been here for quite a long time."

Sirius looked at her with a thoughtful expression on his face."Look, Wright, I'm sorry for yelling at you, I know you were trying to help me."

"That's okay Black, I'm not mad or anything."

"You're not?" he asked turning his gaze towards her.

"Why would I be?" she answered, frowning slightly. Sirius looked at her with an exasperated expression.

"I called you a bloody psychopath!" he nearly shouted. Olivia shrugged.

"It probably doesn't sound very nice, but I don't really care what you think about me," she said, smiling slightly. Sirius looked utterly gobsmacked, his mouth slightly agape.

"You do realise that your answer just proves me right, don't you?"

"If that's what you'd like to think, then that's fine with me," Olivia replied breezily. "Dinner?" she asked, when Sirius didn't appear like he was going to move out of his own accord. He shook his head as if trying to wake himself up, then nodded, suppressing a smile.

"You're weird, you know that?" he said grinning.

"Same goes for you, Black," Olivia retorted, stretching her arms over her head.

"Call me Sirius."

"Fine. Call me Crazy Psycho Girl."

"Fine."

*

"So, how did the tutoring go?" James asked as Sirius and Olivia sat down to dinner. When he was met with two identical groans, he grinned broadly. "I take it went well then? Great!"

"Piss off, Prongs," Sirius hissed, filling his plate with roast potatoes and lamb. James pretended to look hurt, clutching his chest.

"No seriously, how come it didn't go well?" he asked, filling his goblet with pumpkin juice. Olivia shrugged and pierced her potatoes with a bit more force than necessary.

"Sirius is having trouble with the protective – spell mindset, and I have anger issues," she said grumpily. James looked confused.

"Anger issues? But you never get angry. You're always like, I don't know, so bloody calm."

"That's exactly my point!" Olivia exclaimed, waving her fork so that a piece of lamb hit Joan Ellery I the eye. At Joan's glare, Olivia pointed to Sirius who was sitting next to her.

"So, with anger issues, you mean that you don't get angry? And that's an issue?" James asked slowly, frowning slightly. She nodded, not being able to say anything since her mouth was full with baked potatoes.

"Well that's a first," he muttered surprised.

"I just don't understand why it's so difficult for me," she complained after swallowing her potatoes. "Same for Sirius, you're lousy at it. Sorry," she added quickly.

"I don't find it surprising at all," Remus said in his calm manner. Sirius looked at him, frowning.

"What do you mean, Moony?"

"Well, for example...," he went silent, thinking for a few moments. "Olivia, how would you describe Sirius?"

She started thinking, playing with her goblet. "Extrovert, loud, attention – seeking, dramatic, loyal, slightly arrogant, funny –"

"You think I'm funny?" Sirius asked with a big grin on his face. Olivia rolled her eyes.

"Yes you're funny, but you're also all those other things," she replied drily.

"Exactly," Remus agreed. "Sirius doesn't hide his feelings. That doesn't mean" – he continued in a louder voice, for Sirius had started to disagree –"that you're an open book and everyone knows everything about you, I'm talking about superficial emotions. Like happiness, or anger. I'm just saying that everyone will know what kind of mood Sirius Black in is today." Sirius thought about that, then gave Remus a grin.

"I guess you're right, Moony. Merlin, I forgot you could be so bloody observant. It used to annoy the crap out of me."

"Yes, well," Remus continued, "that's the reason why you're so good with curses and attacking spells. Because attacking and confrontation is your kind of protection." Peter looked utterly lost at this explanation, a confused expression on his round face. Sirius and James, however, seemed to grasp it.

"That's brilliant, Remmy!" James exclaimed. "You should be a… how do you call those? Psychologamists?" he asked, addressing Olivia.

"Psychologists," she nodded smiling, inwardly surprised at Remus' observational skills.

"Now Padfoot, if you'd describe Olivia here," Remus said pointing to her. She stiffened in her seat. She didn't like being explained or described.

"Calm, rational, controlled, sarcastic, mean though funny," he smirked. "And bloody impossible to read," he added with a frown.

"You forgot sociopath," Olivia muttered. Sirius shot her a grin, then shrugged.

"Nah, you're not. It's just surprising how cool you always behave when ninety per cent of people are dramatic vessels of hormones."

"Amen." Olivia raised her goblet in agreement.

"Anyway, that proves it," Remus continued, watching her with his amber eyes. "You shut people out, not letting them come to close, and you deal with your emotions inwardly. You don't like being dependent on others," he declared. With an amused glance at her impassive face, he continued. "And even though you don't show it, you probably hate it that I'm analyzing you right now. So your protection is keeping people out, which explains why you're so good at protective spells."

James looked impressed at his friend's observation. "Blimey Moony, you're creeping me out!" he said in mock fear. Peter nodded along eagerly, once again agreeing with whatever James said. Olivia didn't really like him, mostly because of his puppy – behaviour. It was a bit harsh, but somehow it annoyed the hell out of her when people behaved like that.

"The question is," Sirius said helping himself to a third portion of roast potatoes, "what are we going to do about it?" Olivia looked at him, frowning.

"What do you mean? I don't want to do anything about it. I'm comfortable with who I am, thank you very much," she said slightly indignant.

"No, I mean, how can we move past it so that you can cast proper hexes, and I can cast a decent Shield Charm?" Sirius explained calmly.

"Oh. Uh, I suggest we just continue practising. We're bound to get it sometime," she responded, shrugging her shoulders. Since Sirius didn't seem to come up with a better idea, he nodded in agreement.

"Of course, your type of wood can also be a factor," she commented. The boys choked on their food as she said this, causing her to roll her eyes. "For Merlin's sake, I meant the wood your wand is made from."

"Not really helping, Olivia," Sirius sniggered, still coughing slightly.

"What do you mean, though? How can your wand influence your magic?" Remus asked, still with a smirk on his face.

"Well, for example, some wands are better suited to non – verbal magic," Olivia answered, remembering the passage she had read in her book. "I wouldn't be surprised if that went for other characteristics as well."

"True!" James nodded. "When I bought my wand, Ollivander said it would be exceptionally suited for Transfiguration, so there you go!"

Remus looked pensive. "That's interesting…" he muttered. "And since the wand chooses the wizard, it would probably tell a lot about the character of the wizard in question." He seemed to be talking more to himself now.

"So James, did Ollivander mention anything about the size of your head when you bought your wand?" Olivia asked innocently. James glared at her, while Remus and Sirius sniggered.

"Don't you get smart on me, Wright. Sirius may like you, but that doesn't mean you're prank – proof." He paused for a few moments, trying to look dignified. "But that was a good one," he admitted, eyeing her appreciatively.

"Thanks Potter, you know how much I value your opinion," she said with a straight face. James looked confused, not knowing if she was being serious or not, so in the end opted for a glare for good measure.

"Anyway, lads, as much fun as it was (she had to admit, it _had_ been fun hanging out with the Marauders) I'm going to take off to see my friends." Olivia gave them a two – fingered military sort of salute and heaved her backpack over one shoulder, making her way out of the Great Hall.

*

"So to sum it up; you're lousy at attacking – spells and the Marauders have come to the conclusion that you're a sociopath?" Liz asked, brushing a strand of dark brown hair out of her eyes.

"That's about it, yeah," Olivia nodded, watching the Fanged Geranium they were working on warily.

"Well that's not exactly new information, is it?" Liz responded, turning her attention back to the Geranium. It screeched as she tried to fertilize it, but one glare from Liz shut it down.

"How do you do that?" Olivia asked enviously. When it came to Herbology (or anything related with plants) she could get a daffodil to attack her.

"It's all about the attitude, honey," Liz said with a knowing look, rolling up her sleeves. "Now," she addressed the remaining Geraniums they had to fertilize and transfer to their new jars. "We won't be receiving any kind of trouble from you, will we?" She continued to look at them sternly until they drooped their heads in defeat. "Thought so," Liz muttered, and she grabbed the bag of Dragon Dung.

Olivia sighed and started fertilizing the Fanged Geraniums, putting on her dragonhide gloves first for good measure.

"So you'll be having those tutoring session every week?" Liz asked.

"Until we get the hang of it, yes," she nodded absently, keeping her attention on the Geranium. She didn't trust it for one bit. "Anyway, how are things going with you and Collins?" she continued. Liz got a smug look on her face.

"Things are going just fine, thank you," Liz responded cheerily. Olivia rolled her eyes, but grinned amusedly.

"Please don't tell me," she begged in mock desperation.

"Don't worry, my lips are sealed," Liz commented, pretending to lock her mouth. Olivia's eyes widened.

"It must be bad then, if you're not even telling me!"

"Or really freakishly good," Liz said gleefully. "Don't worry, you'll get the details soon enough. Light Room same time like last week?"

"Fine," Olivia sighed, giving her a weak smile. "Ow! Merlin's pants," she shouted, snatching her hand away from the last Fanged Geranium they were transferring. Liz quickly intervened and gave it a slap with her garden shears.

"Goddamn devil's plant from hell," Olivia muttered as the bell for lunch rang.

* * *

**A/N: So, what did you think of the tutoring session? Did it meet your expectations? What did you think of Remus' explanation? I'd love to hear your thoughts! As always, thanks for reading.**


	6. Girl Talk and Bad News

**Chapter 6: Girl Talk and Bad News**

"This is awful," Liam muttered as they sat down for breakfast on Wednesday morning. His dark blue eyes had a hard look in them as he scanned Daily Prophet. There seemed to be a big picture of a cloud – like shape on the front page, but Olivia couldn't see it properly since she was looking at it upside down.

"What is it?" she asked frowning, loading scrambled eggs on her plate. Liam looked almost queasy. He just shook his head and handed her the paper.

MUGGLE FAMILY BRUTALLY KILLED

_Around 11 pm on Monday night, a muggle family in Liverpool was found dead in their home. All bodies wore unmistakable signs of magic, and a large sign in the form of a skull with a snake as a tongue, was placed above the house. Auror spokesperson Jeremy Flint confirmed that the attack is in line with other muggle – attacks that have taken place this summer._

_"The bodies wore the same marks as the victims of the other attacks, and they also seem to have some sort of connection to wizards, for example a marriage between a wizard and a muggle or a muggle – born relative who attends Hogwarts. These murders are therefore a clear message, that there is a certain group of wizards and witches who doesn't deem these connections rightful. The Auror Office is investigating these attacks, putting the best Auror's on the job, and we hope to uncover the identities of these pure – blood supremacists as well as putting them behind bars as soon as possible."_

_Meanwhile, the Ministry of Magic demands wizarding population to stay calm and try their best to protect their muggle relatives or neighbours. A simple protective charm cast on your street can save several lifes. If anyone happens to know more of these attacks, the Ministry urges them to share this information._

Olivia pushed the paper away with a nauseated expression on her face. This was horrible, and she couldn't believe how anyone could think like that. She shot a look at Lily, who was sitting a few places away from her. Lily looked pale, her eyes glassy and Olivia was sure she'd read the paper. Her friends didn't seem to have noticed and chattered away happily.

"Eat something Olivia, you look as if you're going to pass out," Liam said quietly. He stacked her plate with toast, then grabbed her hand and gave it a small squeeze.

"Thanks Liam," she muttered weakly. She managed to give him a small smile and started nibbling on her toast. Liam still kept an eye on her, to make sure she was eating. As she finished her toast, Olivia saw Lily stand up from her seat and leave the Great Hall.

"Sorry, Liam, I got to do something," she muttered, Liam gave her a piercing look and nodded. She swiftly packed her things and went after Lily, heaving her satchel over her shoulder.

"Hey! Lily!"

"What?" Lily asked, her voice impassive. Her curtain of auburn hair obscured her face, causing Olivia to wonder if she'd been crying.

"I just wanted to know how you felt. I read the article in the paper, it must've been even worse for you," Olivia muttered. This wasn't really her kind of thing, comforting someone, but she couldn't let Lily face it all on her own, could she? Lily looked at her, a slightly surprised expression in her glassy emerald eyes.

"It's just awful, isn't it?" she whispered. "I worry constantly about my family, what could happen to them. Nobody protects them and I can't do it, I'm not of age yet. There's nothing I can do," she said with a dry sob, trying very hard not to cry.

"Well, no there's not much you can do now," Olivia muttered uncomfortably. Lily only started to sob harder at her words and Olivia inwardly cursed herself. This sort of thing wasn't really her forte. "I mean," she continued quickly, "there's no use in moping around, is there? All you can do is work hard at DADA and, I don't know, learn as much as you can."

The redhead hiccoughed but seemed to consider her words. "I guess you have a point. Even if you're a bit insensitive." She got a determined, slightly intimidating look on her face. "Maybe we can't fight yet, but we can learn as much as we can now. Thanks, Olivia."

"You're welcome," the dark blonde mumbled, slightly taken aback with Lily's sudden mood swing. She had always thought of Lily as something of a crybaby, but apparently she had been wrong. She smiled at her realization.

"Want to walk to Transfiguration?" Lily asked, interrupting her reverie.

"Sure," Olivia smiled, and they walked together in companionable silence. She could practically hear Lily's brain whirring, but Lily didn't say anything and Olivia didn't ask. They were the first when they entered the Transfiguration classroom, McGonagall giving them an acknowledging nod. The other students entered, filling the seats, with James, Remus, Peter and Sirius the last ones to enter. They where whispering among themselves, looking uncharacteristically serious. Olivia guessed they had also read the article.

"Attention, class," professor McGonagall barked as everyone was sat. "We will continue with Vanishing Charms today, and I expect everyone of you to be able to Vanish his or her snail by the end of this lesson." She waved her wand and a snail appeared on each student's desk. "You may begin" McGonagall commented with a stern glare.

Olivia hadn't been able to Vanish her snail the previous lesson, so she was determined to make it work this time. However, she set to perform the charm non – verbally. This would be a good test for her, since Vanishing Charms were of an average advanced level. Olivia pointed her wand to her snail and concentrated. It didn't Vanish entirely, with only the shell missing, but it was something.

"Have you been practising non – verbal spells, miss Wright?" a stern voice asked from her right. Olivia looked over her shoulder and saw Professor McGonagall standing behind her.

"Yes, Professor," she responded in a clear voice. McGonagall watched her attentively, then gave her a rare smile.

"Excellent, miss Wright. It pleases me to see a student show initiative and an eagerness to learn. 20 points to Gryffindor." Olivia watched her walk away, inspecting Peter's work. She turned to meet Lily's surprised face looking at her.

"That was surreal," Lily whispered in awe. "I don't think I've ever seen her smile."

Olivia nodded, still slightly astonished. The rest of the class passed uneventfully, and every student managed to Vanish his snail in the end. Even Peter, although she had the impression Remus had been helping him.

"See you around, Olivia," Lily said, giving her a small smile. Joan and Mary didn't look too pleased though when Lily joined them, shooting an unfriendly look in Olivia's direction.

"What's their problem?" Liz asked, walking towards her. She had sat next to David during the class. Olivia shrugged.

"Probably afraid I'll steal their friend or something," she muttered. "But don't worry Liz, no one could replace you even if they wanted to," she added cheekily.

"I should ruddy think not," Liz snorted. "They would have to get past me first." She pretended to karate – chop someone in mid air, shrieking impressively. Peter, who had been walking behind them, toppled over in surprise.

As Liz and Olivia were done laughing, they sat down at the Ravenclaw table.

"So, first Hogsmeade trip is in a few weeks," Liz said conversationally. Olivia looked at her with big eyes.

"Oh Merlin, are you going to ask me out?" she exclaimed in a mock emotional voice. "I never thought this day would come," she added, pretending to brush away tears. Liz smacked her on the back of her head.

"You wish," she muttered, reaching for a cheese sandwich. "No, I just wanted to say that I'm going with David," she continued in a louder voice, smiling broadly.

"Of course you are," Olivia responded nodding. "I'll just go with Liam, or on my own." Liz frowned at this.

"You can't go to Hogsmeade on your own, Olivia," she said, as if she was explaining something very simple to a two – year old. Olivia shrugged.

"Why not? I like to be on my own."

"Yes, but people will think you don't have friends and they'll take pity on you," Liz retorted impatiently, her dark eyes big.

Olivia shrugged and took a bite of her sandwich. "I don't really mind," the Gryffindor said with her mouth full. Liz arched one eyebrow.

"Clearly you don't, otherwise you'd have learnt to eat as a proper human being," she muttered. Olivia rolled her eyes. Really, the topic of her eating habits came up a bit too often to her liking.

"Don't you have to go snog someone in a broom cupboard?" she asked drily. Liz glared at her, then ate her cheese sandwich in what she clearly thought was a dignified silence.

*

Raindrops were splattering loudly against the windows that evening. Olivia groaned, realising Quidditch training was going to be a real treat.

"Mind if I sit here?" a female voice asked. Olivia looked up from her Potions homework and saw Emma standing next to her usual table in the library.

"Be my guest," she answered with a wave of her hand. The small beater sat herself opposite of Olivia, and watched her for a few minutes without saying anything.

"I need to ask you a favour," Emma exclaimed finally. Her chocolate – brown eyes watched her intently, waiting for a response.

"Spill," Olivia commented, turning her attention to her teammate. She looked a bit uncomfortable, and finally took a deep breath.

"I need you to help me become a girl," she said in a serious tone. Olivia was struck dumb for a few seconds, then found her voice back.

"You need my help to become a girl?" she repeated slowly. "First of all, I think you're fine the way you are, and secondly, I'm not sure I'd be the right person for that kind of job."

Emma shook her head. "No, you are! Look, you're kind of that girl in – between. You're not a bimbo, but not tomboy either. You're sensible, maybe a bit of a retard emotional-wise -"

"- can't argue with that," Olivia mumbled.

"- but that's okay. If I wanted to be a bimbo, I would've asked that fifth year Hufflepuff girl who can't tell a broomstick from a shovel." Emma looked at her pleadingly. "I'm tired of being treated as a sodding bloke. I want to be me, and that includes girl sides." The skinny beater sighed and thought for a moment. "And I want to get revenge on Andrew and Troy."

"All right, you seem to have given this some thought," Olivia commented perplexed. "Wait, what happened with Andrew and Troy?" she asked, referring to their fellow teammates.

"You know how guys often play this game, where you have to choose between two gross options who you'd rather kiss?" Emma said drily, one eyebrow arched. Olivia nodded. "Well, I came up, and they were all having a laugh about how I couldn't be picked because it would be like snogging a friend. A male friend, to be precise," she continued in an impassive voice.

"Oh." Olivia didn't know what to say to this so she quickly changed the subject. "So to get this straight, you want people to notice you're a girl and get your revenge on Andrew and Troy?" she asked, counting off her fingers. Emma nodded in agreement. "Right, so I think you should somehow combine those two goals. It'll have to be good, though," Olivia said thoughtful. "I'll help you, but we really need to think this through." The Seeker was silent for a few moments, deep in thought.

"You know what, what if we just think on it for a few days? I agree with you, I want to think this through properly," Emma said, frowning slightly. Olivia nodded her agreement.

"Right. We need to get going anyway, Quidditch training is about to start," she sighed with a look at the window.

*

"Stupid bloody rain," Olivia muttered as she chased after the Snitch. She had the tendency to swear when training in bad weather. As the Snitch took a particularly sharp bend it just escaped her grasp. "SON OF A – "

"Come on team, only fifteen minutes left! Give it all you've got!" Evan shouted from the other side of the pitch. Muttering angry, Olivia turned her broom and chased the Snitch once again. Dodging a bludger, she almost lost sight of it but managed to spot it hovering next to one of the Hufflepuff stands.

_Come on_, she thought, focussing on the Snitch. _Just a few inches…_

With a sigh of relief, she grabbed the Snitch and turned to fly toward Evan. He nodded, grinning broadly when he saw her approaching.

"Good catch, Wright. There's a chance we'll be playing in this weather so it's good to know our chances," he said excitedly. Olivia just grumbled and shot him a dark look, shaking out her mass of wet hair that was plastered against her skin from the rain.

"Save that for when we win the ruddy match, Hamilton," she responded, but he didn't seem to hear her. He was looking at her with his mouth slightly agape, a bit of an absent expression on his face. Olivia snapped her fingers in front of his eyes.

"Hamilton! Pay attention, your Chasers are going haywire," she said with a frown.

"Right," Evan muttered, shaking his head as if to clear it. He shot her a last odd look, then turned his attention to the Chasers who had lost their Hawkshead Attacking Formation.

"That's enough people, we're done here," he shouted. A chorus of relieved voices reached them. "Let's get down," he muttered to Olivia, who nodded and landed next to him. The field was soggy as they walked across it to the dressing rooms.

"Good training everyone," Evan said, watching his team with a satisfied expression on his face. "It's always good to have had practice in extreme conditions, since you never know what kind of weather we'll have on a match. See you all tomorrow!"

The team mumbled defiantly as they entered the dressing rooms. In the girl's dressing room, Emma groaned as she tried to get out of her drenched Quidditch robes.

"Bloody Hamilton," she muttered angrily as she turned on the shower. "It'll be raining like this for the rest of the week, mark my words."

Olivia, too tired to answer, just shrugged. The hot water pouring down was blissful against her cold skin. Eventually, she had to get out though. She dried her hair with a flick of her wand and proceeded on putting on her robes.

As Olivia entered the common room, she was greeted by a very active Sirius.

"Hey Olivia," he said, grinning widely and pushing his hair out of his eyes. "I was wondering if you'd fancy going over Shield Charms again before the DADA class tomorrow?"

Olivia grumbled incoherently and kicked second – year from the couch by the fire, letting herself fall into the soft cushions. Liam, who had come in after her, followed her example and landed next to her, his long legs swung over Olivia's back.

"Piss off, Healey," she muttered, pushing away his legs. "And Sirius, I'm sorry but I'm exhausted. I doubt if I can even drag myself up to my dorm," she said, turning to Sirius.

"I can take care of that," he replied, arching one eyebrow cockily. His smile faltered as she threw a cushion at him. "Okay, but can you just give me some advice? You won't have to do anything, I'll cast the spell and you point out the weaknesses." He looked at her pleadingly, his grey eyes big.

She considered this. "I can criticise you" she said slowly, then beamed at him. "We have a deal! Liam, would you move? I want to sit comfortably for this."

"Fine," Liam groaned. "But this couch is not your sole property. At least let me use you as a pillow." Olivia rolled her eyes and nodded, motioning Liam to make himself comfortable. He spread out on the couch, legs swung over an armrest and his head in her lap. After a few seconds, he already started snoring softly. Olivia patted his head and turned her attention towards Sirius, who was watching her amusedly.

"You may begin," she said to Sirius in an imitation of McGonagall stern tone. Sirius had gotten better, but there were still mistakes that always came back. They didn't practice for long though, Olivia for one was completely knackered and it became more difficult to talk through Liam's snoring.

"He's even worse than James," Remus commented, watching Liam in awe. Olivia noticed that Remus had dark shadows underneath his eyes, and he looked slightly feverish. Full moon was tomorrow night, so it didn't really surprise her. _Katie must be feeling awful too_, she thought sadly.

"Guys, could you get him off me?" she gestured towards Liam. "I really want to sleep." Sirius immediately bounced from his seat eagerly, pointing his wand towards Liam (with a slightly too gleeful expression on his face, she thought) and send a Tickling Hex at him. Liam immediately woke up howling with laughter, and scanned the common room for the culprit.

"Black!" he managed to gasp between fits of laughter. "You're a dead man!" and he chased Sirius around the Common Room. As Olivia climbed the spiral staircase that lead to her dormitory, she caught a last glimpse of Liam holding Sirius in a stranglehold, Remus watching them with an amused expression on his tired face.

*

"All right class, that's it for today," Professor Vaughan's voice rang through the classroom. A bunch of students, all in varying states of consciousness, looked up at his words. They had been spending the lesson focusing on Stunning Spells, which accounted for those few students who were still out cold. "Next class we'll be practicing on other attacking spells. Off you go." Vaughan then turned to enervate the unconscious students left.

Olivia left the room in a bad mood. Her Stunning Spell was still pathetic as always, even though she had practiced a lot. It just annoyed her that she improved so slowly. Stretching her arms to get rid of the stiffness due to being Stunned several times, she walked towards Liz who was waiting for her outside of the classroom.

"If that Quidditch training yesterday evening didn't kill me, those twelve Stunning Spells surely have done the job," Olivia muttered as she sat down at the Gryffindor table. James, who had sat himself opposite from her raised his goblet in agreement. "And I still need to finish that essay for Professor Sprout," she groaned, letting her head rest on her arms. "Please help me?" she begged Liz in a tiny voice.

Liz patted her head with a amused smile. "Sure thing honey," she answered while loading her plate with smoked salmon and toast. Olivia raised her head and scanned the table for something to eat.

"Green apples!" she exclaimed happily. She loved green apples. Pulling the nearest bowl towards her, she started to peel one.

"Why are you so excited about green apples?" Remus asked frowning, watching her devour a Granny Smith apple with a dreamy expression on her face.

"'Cause they are the best," she managed to explain between her bites. "Red apples are way too sweet, and they're often mushy and everything. Green apples are perfection." James shook his head in unbelieving manner.

"Not bloody likely. Green apples are too sour," he objected. Olivia shook her head vigorously.

"No they're not. They're fresh and crisp and perfectly balanced between sweet and sour." She took a few more from the bowl, putting them in her satchel, and started devouring another one.

"All right Granny Smith," Liz said loudly. "Time to let go of the apples and get your lazy ass to class." She snatched the bowl out of Olivia's hands and placed them a safe distance away. "You've got Ancient Runes, right? Off you go!" and she pushed her away in the direction of the hall. With an unhappy expression, Olivia dragged herself to the marble staircase.

"I agree, you know," a husky voice said coming from behind her. Remus followed her up the marble staircase, his amber eyes looking tired. "Green apples are the best."

Olivia gave him smile and observed him. Remus looked even more feverish than last night, which was probably the reason why he had loosened his tie. A few sandy locks were plastered to his forehead, and the shadows under his eyes were even more pronounced, giving him a slightly tormented look. She knew that his senses were going haywire right now, with the full moon only being a couple of hours away, so she talked quietly as they walked to Ancient Runes together. None of the other boys followed this class, and from the other girls only Emma and Lily attended it. In her third year, Olivia had chosen Ancient Runes in favour of Divination and she turned to be very happy with that choice, especially when she heard the stories about the Divination Professor.

Remus had sat himself next to Olivia before Emma had come into the classroom, so she had to sit next to Lily instead. The two girls hadn't gotten along well in the past few years, but during the lesson they were more or less polite to each other. As they were working their way through an sixth century text, Olivia saw Remus clenching his teeth as a cramp ran through his body. He'd have to go to the Hospital Wing, but she guessed he didn't want to draw attention to himself, fearing that someone would notice a pattern. She could see that he was in pain, though. Luckily for him, Olivia was a good actress.

"Professor Babbling?" she groaned with a nauseated expression on her face. "I think I must've eat something bad this lunch. Can I go to the Hospital Wing please?"

Professor Babbling, a slightly loony looking witch looked up from the blackboard. "Yes, of course Wright," she answered vaguely, motioning with her piece of chalk. "Mr Lupin, if you would be so kind to escort miss Wright…" she muttered, turning her attention back to the text.

Remus and Olivia packed their things and walked out of the classroom. As the door closed behind them, she turned her expression back to normal.

"You don't look ill," Remus commented in a hoarse whisper, his face contorted in pain as another cramp ran through his body. He staggered and Olivia supported him, grabbing his elbow.

"No, but you do," she answered, her voice impassive. "I know you wouldn't want to ask to go to the Hospital Wing, so I gave you an excuse." Remus looked at her with a surprised expression on his face, and Olivia could spot a glint of fear in his eyes. _He's afraid I suspect something_, she thought.

"It's okay, I have that too" she continued quickly. "Whenever I feel sick in class, I just wait until class is over because I don't want people to worry."

He looked a bit more at ease now, but Olivia wanted to make sure he wouldn't fret about someone discovering his secret. The transformation would be worse if he did. So she decided to provide him with an excuse.

"It's probably something you ate, though. My friend Liz was sick about a week ago and she had pretty much the same symptoms. She had to stay in bed for a few days, so you'll probably also have to." Liz hadn't been sick of course, but it provided him with the perfect excuse and also would explain the few days of absence he'd have in the days following the full moon. Remus' amber eyes looked into Olivia's green – grey ones, and he gave her a small smile.

"That's probably it," he nodded. They had reached the Hospital Wing, and Remus lingered outside. "Thanks, Olivia," he said with his slightly crooked smile. She gave him a wink and strolled towards the Gryffindor Common Room.

"I'll let your friends know that you're ill," she shouted over her shoulder to Remus. He nodded and went into the Hospital Wing. As Madam Pomfrey handed him an old pair of robes, he found himself more relaxed than he usually was. A faint whiff of something that smelled like green apples and sea air reached him, causing him to smile without realising.

* * *

**A/N: A big thanks to the people who already have reviewed, it really makes my day and I can use the feedback! Oh and I wanted to say this beforehand; don't worry about the make-over thing, I promise it won't be cliché ;) I always love to hear your thoughts, so leave me a review if you feel like it!**


	7. Emma Jordans, knockout

**Chapter 7: Emma Jordans, knockout**

"I think I have an idea for you to get your revenge and the girl – transformation thing," Olivia said to Emma over their bubbling cauldron. The dungeon was filled with multi – coloured hazes from the simmering potions and students muttered quietly among themselves, arguing whether they should add the salamander blood now or later.

"Brilliant," Emma whispered with a wicked grin, and motioned for her to continue.

"What do boys hate the most?" Olivia asked her. Emma thought about this.

"Madam Puddifoot's? But I don't see how that –" She paused as she saw Olivia shaking her head.

"No, that's not what I had in mind. Good guess, though," she said with a smile, and added some salamander blood to their Strengthening Solution. The potion sizzled and turned a deep purple. She turned her attention back to Emma and continued. "One of the things that boys hate the most is to admit that they're wrong." Emma nodded slowly, and a grin spread across her face.

"So what I had in mind, is that we make Andrew and Troy repeat what they've said about you, how they'd never fancy you and all that. If it's possible, we should make it a bet, like they'd date Moaning Myrtle before they'd date you or something. Preferably in front of a crowd so that a lot of people hear it. And when you've transformed in one of the hottest girls in school, they'll have to swallow their words. Or else date Moaning Myrtle," Olivia finished with a grin. The plan was not flawless or that impressive, but it was doable. Emma grinned enthusiastically at her words, but then her smile faltered.

"Just one thing though. I don't think I can be… pretty, you know. In a way that guys like."

Olivia waved her hand dismissively. "Please, you're gorgeous! And either way, I have connections that could make Alecto Carrow look like a Veela," she continued confidently. Liz would only be too happy to perform a make – over. Emma nodded and checked their potion, which still needed to simmer for a few minutes.

"I think it's a good plan. When should we set up the first phase, with Troy and Andrew?" the dark – haired beater asked, watching Olivia over the cauldron.

"Sirius Black's birthday is in a few weeks. I think that's the perfect opportunity, with the party and butterbeer and all that," she answered sagely.

Emma nodded in agreement and turned her attention back to her textbook. "I think we should add the Fluxweed now," the Beater commented, checking the potion.

Olivia nodded absently and handed her the Fluxweed she had chopped earlier. As the small leaves touched the Strengthening Solution, it began to simmer dangerously. When the potion started to smoke ominously Olivia did the first thing she could think of and summoned the pieces of Fluxwood out of their potion.

"Bugger," she muttered as she quickly let the remaining leaves fall. The potion hadn't seriously injured her, but there were angry red marks on her hands. At least she had managed to save their Strengthening Solution.

"Hospital Wing if you ask me, miss Wright," Slughorn commented in his jovial tone. "Miss Jordans can finish your potion." He winked and turned back to inspect Mulciber's work, his fat belly dangerously close to the potion.

"Go on, I'll take your stuff," Emma said to Olivia, eyeing her hands with a worried look on her face. She nodded thankfully and pushed the door of the dungeon open with her shoulder, not wanting to use her hands. As she climbed the spiral staircase to the hall, someone shouted after her.

"Oi, Wright!" Evan Hamilton was strolling behind her, his hands in his pockets. "What's wrong with your hands?" he asked frowning, noticing the red marks on them.

"Potions accident," she said curtly, not bothering to explain. "Don't you have classes or something?"

"Nah, I've got a free period," Evan answered with a smile, his dark green eyes glinting. "Come on, let's get you to the Hospital Wing," he continued, pushing her forward.

"I can walk by myself, thanks," Olivia said curtly, arching one eyebrow. Evan didn't look rebuffed, he just shrugged his shoulders and continued to walk next to her. She noticed he looked taller than he did on a broom. His Beater posture also seemed more pronounced when he was strolling beside her.

"I hope this won't turn out to be an injure," he said frowning, eyeing her hands. "Can't afford to lose my Seeker when the first match is in a month."

"A month and a half," Olivia corrected him, ignoring Evan rolling his eyes. "And I'll be fine, Madam Pomfrey fixes this in a minute," she said breezily. They had reached the Hospital Wing and Evan opened the door for her, making sure she didn't have to use her hands. The school matron came hurrying from her office.

"Miss Wright, Mr Hamilton, what seems to be the problem?" the young woman asked, quickly analysing the situation.

"Just an accident in Potions, Madam," Olivia answered politely and held out her hands. Madam Pomgrey tsked and went to fetch a salve from a large cabinet.

"And you, Mr Hamilton?" she asked as she dabbed the light – green salve on Olivia's hands, which left a pleasant cool feeling.

"Nothing wrong Madam Pomfrey, I'm just here to make sure my Seeker is all right," he answered cheerily. Madam Pomfrey shook her head disapprovingly and started to bandage up Olivia's hands

"All that fuss about some dangerous sport. Merlin knows the only thing you Quidditch players care about is if their team member will be able to play, even if it meddles with her health," she exclaimed in a stern voice. "There miss Wright, if you keep these bandages on for one day and apply this salve tomorrow morning you should be fine." Madam Pomfrey put the salve away and returned to her office.

"You know that's not true, don't you?" Evan suddenly asked Olivia, taking her by surprise as they walked to the Great Hall.

"What's not true?" she responded with a confused expression on her face.

"That I only care about whether you'll be able to play or not," Evan muttered with an uncomfortable expression on his face.

"Oh. Right, sure." She frowned, feeling confused. She didn't see why he should feel the need to clarify that, she knew how important Quidditch was and she wouldn't feel offended or anything. "Ehm, I got to go to my friends. See you at Quidditch training." She smiled awkwardly as she saw Sirius waving to her from across the Great Hall. Evan nodded and gave her a smile.

"What's up with Hamilton?" James asked, watching Evan leave the Great Hall.

"I ran into him on my way to the Hospital Wing. He wanted to make sure I'd still be able to catch the Snitch." Olivia shrugged, sitting herself opposite of Sirius and next to Remus, who had come out of the Hospital Wing a few days earlier. He didn't seem to have any new scars (that were visible, at least) after the last full moon, but he did look a bit tired. The long scratch – like scar that went from his jaw line to his neck seemed more notable though. She sighed as she thought of Katie. She had gotten her letter a few days ago, telling that she was fine save for a nasty wound on her leg, but it was still hard to not worry about her.

"So what kind of present are you getting me?" Sirius said cockily, a grin spreading on his face.

"I'm supposed to get you a present?" Olivia asked nonplussed, pausing as she was about to reach for a cinnamon muffin. Remus snorted and shot Sirius a meaningful look.

"Of course you should get me a present!" Sirius exclaimed indignantly. "That's what friends do, you know!"

The dark blond arched one eyebrow, smiling amusedly. "Oh, so we're friends now? Strange, you'd think I would've noticed," she commented drily. Sirius shot her a dark look and threw a muffin at her, which hit her square in the face.

"Blimey Olivia, for a Quidditch player your reflexes are shite,' James said with his mouth full while Olivia shook the crumbs out of her hair.

"Well, James, I wasn't really expecting to be assaulted with cinnamon muffins today. Normally that only happens on Mondays," the Seeker replied sagely while shooting a dark glare at Sirius, who smiled broadly.

"To answer your question, we have been friends since I called you a sociopath," he said happily, which somehow softened his aristocratic features.

"And I always thought you kept high standards when it came down to your friends," Olivia mused. James was encouraging Peter to put grapes in his nose that exact moment, and she arched one eyebrow. "Forget what I said," the Gryffindor muttered as Sirius joined in the cheering. Remus seemed to have trouble holding back his laughter so opted for taking a swig of pumpkin juice instead. Then, a grape got stuck in Peter's nose causing Remus to choke and drench James in juice. Olivia chuckled and watched Peter struggling to get the grape out of his nose.

"You guys are first rate entertainment," she said drily, watching the Marauders banter.

"Oli, isn't that your Spanish friend?" Sirius managed to say between fits of laughter. She looked over her shoulder and saw Liz coming over to the Gryffindor Table.

"Argentine," she corrected him. "Don't let her hear you called her Spanish," she added in a more serious tone. "You don't want Liz Ortega as your enemy, believe me."

Sirius shrugged. "They've all got that Southern temper," he muttered. Liz had reached their table and watched the group, arching one eyebrow cockily.

"Olivia, just wanted to know, library after classes?" she asked, whipping her dark hair from her face.

"Sure, Liz. I'll pass by the kitchens first, if that's okay," Olivia responded with a grin.

"Definitely. Get me some of that treacle tart, will you? And maybe a bottle of Firewhiskey for Friday. We're almost out of Butterbeer."

"Got it." She nodded and waved her friend off. Peter watched Liz as she sashayed away with a dim expression on his face. James, Remus and Sirius however all watched Olivia with expressions that were something between amusement and pride.

"Please tell me that it's my good influence that makes you raid the kitchens for Firewhiskey," James said, pretending to wipe away a tear. "They grow up so fast," he whispered emotionally to Sirius.

"Don't fret, James, Liz and I have been doing that for years. Minus the Firewhiskey, of course," she added as an afterthought.

"Well look at you, little rebel," Sirius cooed and ruffled Olivia's hair (as if that needed any more messing up). She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I could teach Che Guevara a thing or two," she said with a straight face. James, Sirius and Peter looked confused. "Really guys, you might want to open a ruddy book every now and then." She stood up from the table and strolled out of the Great Hall. "See you girls later!"

*

The first Hogsmeade weekend was cold and sunny, Olivia's favourite kind of weather. She was supposed to meet Liam in the Hall, and had agreed to see Emma around noon in the Three Broomsticks. Occasionally, whatever Liz might say, Olivia _did_ feel like dressing up. Well, her version of it at least. This was such a day.

She put on a simple light grey jersey cotton dress, that came just above her knees and had a simple, classic cut. Her black boots that came to her knees were indispensable though. Since it wasn't very cold and the sun shone, she chose her favourite camel trenchcoat. She liked it so much because it wasn't short, like most woman's coats but a bit more long and had a unisex cut. She even borrowed some mascara from Lily, just for a light touch. Finally putting on her Gryffindor scarf and grabbing her wand, she rushed out of the Common Room and to the Hall.

"Hey Liam," Olivia greeted her friend as she descended the marble staircase. "And hey, guys," she added as she saw The Marauders standing a few strides away from her. "What are you doing here?" she asked as she pulled up her hair in a ponytail.

"Remus and Sirius are waiting for their dates," James said grumpily. He seemed rather put out by the fact that his two friends had abandoned him.

"Man up, Prongs," Remus said lazily. "You know you'd also go on a date if you could. Don't blame us for being sensible by not letting our chances to a good snog depend on one option." He looked pointedly at Lily Evans and gave James a wicked grin.

"And anyway Prongs, you'll have Wormtail to keep you company," Sirius observed, patting James on the back. Peter looked proud at his words and smiled at James, who was about a head taller.

"Thanks mate," James said not very enthusiastically.

Liam and Olivia left the Marauders quarrelling and walked out of the castle. It was a beautiful day, breezy but sunny, and you could feel winter approaching in the air.

"How come you don't have a date, Liam?" Olivia asked absently as they walked the road the Hogsmeade. Liam shrugged and made a face.

"There was this girl I liked but Bertram Aubrey from Hufflepuff asked her out first," he said with a tone of regret.

"So instead you're stuck here with me," she exclaimed cheerily as she put her arm through Liam's. He rolled his eyes but seemed to have cheered up a bit.

A gang of Slytherins, with Nigel Mulciber as their leader passed them, laughing loudly and pointing at a Gryffindor third year who was walking a few meters ahead of them. As Mulciber pulled out his wand and started muttering something, Olivia lost no time and immediately cast a silent Shield Charm between Mulciber and the Gryffindor boy. Mulciber's curse rebounded and hit him in the face, immediately causing serious burns to appear. As he howled in pain, his friend Avery looked around for the culprit and spotted Olivia and Liam.

"Well, if it isn't King and Queen Quidditch," he snarled menacingly. "Who gave you permission to meddle with our business?"

"Professor Slughorn did, as a matter of fact," Liam replied with a straight face.

"Would you like to see the permission slip he signed?" Olivia asked innocently. Avery looked thoroughly confused, not having expected her to take his question seriously. It took him a while to figure out she was messing with him.

"You'd want to watch your back in the future, Wright. See if you still can come up with cheeky answers when you're hanging upside down in the dungeons," Avery hissed.

"As long as you're there Avery, I'm sure we'll have a grand time," the Gryffindor replied drily, turning her back on them. Liam glared over his shoulder to make sure they wouldn't cast any curses, but the Slytherins were too busy taking Mulciber to the hospital wing.

"They're really bad this year," he muttered, his normally kind face looking dark. "I remember when there used to be decent Slytherins, you know. Ambitious people and all that, but decent."

Olivia shrugged and said nothing. The confrontation with the Slytherins had reminded her of the article in the Daily Prophet a few weeks ago. Also today there had been mentions of new disappearances. Maybe it was her imagination, but Hogsmeade too seemed to be clouded with a grim mood.

"Come on, let's go to Honeydukes. I could use some chocolate right now," she muttered. The bright warm shop was as always filled with students looking for their favourite candy. She immediately went for the chocolate section, and grabbed a few bars of her favourite chocolate – fudge variety. She also liked Honeydukes' basic milk chocolate, but after she had gotten a bar of famous Belgian Chocolate for her birthday a few years ago, she was hooked. Her parents regularly send her a new pack to keep her satisfied. Liam bought his usual bag of Cauldron Cakes, and they tried a newly invented candy that made your eyes change colour for a few minutes. Seeing Liam's eyes turn from his usual dark blue to green, then yellow and orange was enough to cheer Olivia up.

"I'm supposed to meet Emma in the Three Broomsticks in a few minutes, do you want to come along?" she asked, checking her watch. Liam nodded, eyeing her muggle watch with a curious look. Both his parents were wizards so he was used to wizard's watches.

The Three Broomsticks didn't seem affected by the grim mood, with its shiny bar and laughing customers. Liz and David sat with some of their Ravenclaw friends at a table in the middle of the room, discussing some lesson, and Remus was snogging his date in the far corner. Sirius was nowhere to be seen, probably already finding some more secluded spot. At last Olivia saw Emma waving at her from next to the big fireplace.

"Hi there," Olivia greeted her, unravelling her scarf and setting herself opposite of Emma. Liam had gone to get them Butterbeer and chat with the cute young woman behind the bar, Rosmerta. "So I thought we might want to get some girl equipment while we're in Hogsmeade," she said business – like. "We can't start the transformation until Andrew and Troy have made their remarks, bet or whatever, otherwise they'd never say it. But after that, we can start with phase two."

"Which is?" Emma asked nervously.

"The evolving of Emma Jordans, tomboy/beater to Emma Jordans, knockout/beater," Olivia answered matter – of – fact. Emma gulped and didn't look at all reassured. "So after I finish my Butterbeer we should get going," she continued. Liam had appeared with their Butterbeers and they chatted a bit, discussing their chances about the upcoming Quidditch Match (which were pretty good).

"Right Liam, Emma and I are going to leave you know. Girl stuff," Olivia said in a serious voice. "Why don't you go and chat up Rosmerta? I know for a fact she has something for Irishmen."

"Yes ma'am!" Liam saluted her. With a wink, Olivia took Emma by the arm and dragged her out of the pub.

"Where exactly are we going?" Emma asked, her dark eyes casting a nervous look at Olivia.

"Gladrags Witches' wear," she responded curtly. Emma whimpered in fear.

"Not there, please!" she begged, trying to release herself from Olivia's grip.

"I don't like it any more than you do," Olivia shuddered, "but we're bound to find something there. Preferably something void of laces and pink," she added, muttering darkly.

"I just don't understand why we have to go there, I have to wear the sodding Hogwarts uniform ninety per cent of the time anyway," Emma hissed. She had a point, all girls had to wear the same uniform that consisted of a black skirt that came just above their knees, a white shirt, a grey jumper with house colour details and white stockings that just reached their knees.

"About that, you might want your uniform to actually be the right size. Not three sizes too large," Olivia commented drily.

"Look who's talking," Emma retorted, shooting a look at Olivia's oversized trench coat.

"One size too large is acceptable," she said defensively. "Anyway, you might need something a bit more… casual for when you don't have to wear your uniform."

As they entered the shop, Olivia's confidence started to waver. Heaps of frilly, multi – coloured dresses occupied the shop, the vibrant colours making her eyes water. Emma looked as if she might be sick and tried to run for it, but Olivia snatched her by the collar.

"No, we are going to find something in this ruddy place," she exclaimed seriously, "even if I have to go through dozens of lacy, flowery, fricking rainbow – puking dresses." She marched towards the nearest rack of clothes and began pulling things from it. "Merlin's pants, who wears this kind of stuff," she muttered disgustedly as she held up a frilly, ridiculously short dress with ornamental flowers.

Emma snorted and made a face. "What about this one." She chuckled as she held up a t – shirt with a moving puppy on it.

"Oh my Merlin, that's _so_ you," Olivia commented in a high – pitched voice. She grimaced as the puppy started to chase its own tail. "Who wouldn't want a sodding pug on their chest – oh, and it even barks!" She laughed out loud right now, which made the puppy bark even louder. "I can't believe this." She shook her head in amazement and went to the next rack of clothes.

"I bet you I'll find the most hideous, sickly piece of clothing – or whatever they call it here – in the whole shop," Emma said laughing as she pulled a pair of glittery earmuffs from a mannequin.

"The bet is on," Olivia answered with a grin and bolted to the far end of the shop where she had spotted cowboy boots with a print of butterflies. Which changed colour. _Yikes._

"Impressive," Emma said while analyzing the pair of boots. "Not as good as mine, though." She held up a skirt with 'Blondes have more fun!' emblazoned on the back in curly, vibrant purple letters.

A ditzy looking girl who seemed to be the shop assistant came over to them. "It would look great on you," she said with a smile from ear to ear.

Emma looked at her incredulously. "I'm a brunette," she said slowly, holding up the skirt and pointing at her hair. The girl didn't seem to spot the problem and Emma sighed. "Never mind. I'm not going to take it."

The girl's smile only widened. "No problem, let me know if you need help!" She sashayed back to the counter, leaving a trail of some insanely sweet perfume.

Emma gagged. "Can you believe that?"

Olivia snorted and watched the girl arrange some flashy rings on a counter. "I wonder where they find those. They must breed them somewhere," she said grinning. "Anyway, back to the bet!"

She found a glittering jumper with a psychotic looking bunny that was humming a creepy song. Emma found a hideous necklace with the words 'My Sweetheart' in fat, gold letters. After a while, Emma seemed to have found the winning piece.

Olivia watched the vibrant yellow dress. It had puffed sleeves in a flashy pink colour, more ribbons than Remus Lupin had chocolate, and to top it off, big ornamental butterflies on both shoulders.

"There are no words," she said with a blank expression on her face. She and Emma looked at it awe for a few minutes, then hurriedly put it back. "It might be contagious," she explained.

The ditzy shop assistant came their way when they held up the dress but Emma quickly brushed her off. "Shoo," she muttered. "That's right, go paint your nails." She chuckled at the girl's confused expression. "Merlin, I'm never going to find something here," she said with a sigh.

"What about this?" Olivia asked, holding up a dark green dress with a few buttons and a simple, casual cut. Emma nodded thoughtfully.

"That could work. I don't need to be a _girl_ girl, you know."

When Emma came out of the dressing room, Olivia smiled approvingly. The rich, dark green of the dress looked beautiful with Emma's pale complexion and brought out the green flecks in her dark eyes. It was casual enough to wear everyday and showed off her legs.

"This is the kind of clothing you need. Not too frilly and girly, but just nice. It looks brilliant," she reassured the skinny Beater, who was fidgeting nervously with the hem of her dress.

"I think I like it too," she murmured, looking at her reflection in the large mirror. They managed to find some similar clothes before the shopping started to bore them out, and paid at the counter, where the shop assistant shot them a blinding smile.

"I hope to see you again soon!" she said with uncommon enthusiasm. Emma grinned uneasily and quickly grabbed the bag of clothes.

"Don't worry, we will!" she said in forced tone. "When we need to have a good laugh," she added when they were out of earshot.

"I would say our next stop is that cosmetics' store over there, but since I can't tell apart eye shadow from lipstick, we'd better not take our chances," Olivia commented as they walked out of the shop. "We can come back another time with an expert on that area."

Emma nodded, looking immensely relieved. "I've reached my shopping limit anyway. We should get back to Hogwarts," the small girl said, looking at the darkening sky.

"That was really something," Olivia muttered thoughtfully. "I still think you should've bought the cowboy boots," she added after a while in a dry tone.

"Sod off."

* * *

**A/N: What did you think? Was the make - over believable? Did you recognise the necklace? (description based on Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, chapter 16 by J.K. Rowling) I had fun imagining that it laid there all these years until Lavender picked it up.  
**  
**Up next: another tutoring session, library - scenes with Remus, and the introduction to Sirius' birthday party! **


	8. Control Freak

**Chapter 8: Control Freak**

"Come on Sirius, it's just a simple Shield Charm," Olivia muttered tiredly as Sirius swore loudly. It was Friday afternoon, another one of their tutoring sessions. Even though it was halfway through October and they'd had a lot of them, neither Sirius nor Olivia had made any major improvements. Remus and James, who had come to watch, sniggered at their friend's face.

"You know what, I'll try a different approach," Olivia said briskly, standing up from the carpet she was sitting on. "Go stand in the middle of the room," she ordered Sirius and walked towards him. "Now, close your eyes."

"This might get interesting," James hissed in a suggestive voice to Remus, who chuckled and bro – fisted him. Olivia cast a Silencing Charm at them without bothering to look and watched Sirius.

"Imagine that your friends are in trouble. You need to protect them, but there're too many enemies for you to handle. Your only hope is time, because you know help is on the way. Let's say a horde of Dragons led by Dumbledore is coming to rescue you, to keep things interesting," she said in a loud voice, walking in circles around Sirius. "Are you with me, soldier?" she barked.

"Yes ma'am," Sirius grinned.

"So what you need is time, and protection. Therefore, your only hope is a Shield Charm strong enough to keep your enemies away and also one that holds for a long time. Got it?" Sirius nodded, more seriously now.

"Your enemies are provoking you, trying to get you angry. But you need to keep your head cool. You need a strong shield that will hold. So go on and clear your head," Olivia continued, still walking in circles. "Focus on your task. And cast your spell."

Sirius took a deep breath, then his eyes shot open. "Protego!" he shouted, and a blue-ish white shield erupted out of his wand, forcing Olivia to stagger back. Sirius panted, his grey eyes wide, and looked at Olivia for her verdict. She walked forward and analysed the shield, looking for weaknesses and cracks. There were none.

"I suppose it's acceptable." She nodded drily. Sirius looked at her incredulously, but then saw her grin.

"I did it!" he cheered, his voice booming through the room. "I fricking did it!"

Remus and James applauded, their mouths moving in silent cheers due to her Silencing Charm. She flicked her wand and the boys had their voices back.

"Brilliant, Padfoot!" James said smiling, his glasses slightly askew. Remus just grinned and patted his friend on the back, shooting a grateful look at Olivia.

"You'd think he cast a bloody Patronus Charm or something, given the enthusiasm," she muttered to Remus. The tall boy grinned and watched James and Sirius, who were now pretending to fight off enemies.

"Only you could have taught him," he said, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Naturally," Olivia replied, her voice impassive. Remus shot her an analyzing look and she rolled her eyes.

"Anyone with an overly rational mind could have taught him, Remus," she muttered.

He shook his head in disagreement but smiled amusedly. "I can never tell whether you're being serious or not," he said. "It's frustrating."

"Don't worry about it," she responded calmly, patting him on the shoulder.

"It just bothers me a bit." He frowned. "Usually I'm pretty good at reading people and all that."

Olivia didn't say anything, but she was secretly glad at his words. She didn't usually open up to people and years of experience had provided her with a perfected mask to present to the world. She liked to think she dealt with her emotions the way she dealt with a complicated Arithmancy problem; analyze and solve it.

"Olivia, it's your turn now!" Sirius voice sounded, pulling her back to reality.

_My turn for what? Oh, right, attacking spells,_ she realised quickly, and walked to the middle of the room. As she took on her usual duelling stance, Sirius just watched her thoughtfully.

"Maybe we also need a different approach to this," he muttered quietly, as if to himself. "You got me to imagine a situation where I'd have no other choice than to use a protective spell, and therefore I needed to think straight. I'm going to try the same with you, only you need to be angry," he explained, looking pleased with himself. Behind his back, Remus cast James a meaningful glance. Clearly, he had spotted the problem earlier than Sirius did.

"That's all brilliant Sirius, but there's a minor flaw in your plan;" Olivia said calmly. Sirius raised his eyebrows, looking sceptical. "I don't get angry," she said defensively, crossing her arms.

"Sure you get angry." Sirius frowned. "Everyone gets angry once in a while. Even Moony here does, and he's the fricking Prince of Calmness." He gestured to Remus who smiled sheepishly.

"I don't," she muttered curtly.

"Why not?"

"It's complicated." Olivia hesitated. She didn't want to explain the reasons behind her self – control, since it explained a lot about her personality and way of thinking. But she also knew Sirius wouldn't give up easily. _I guess it wouldn't hurt to explain_, she thought. _Only_ _this much, though._

"The reason why I don't get angry at other people, is because I don't want anyone to have that kind of power over me," she said calmly. James frowned at her, raking through his messy hair in confusion.

"How could – "

"If a person can make you feel angry, or sad, or hurt, they basically have power over your mental state. And I don't want that. So I try to not let people influence me too much," Olivia explained, feeling very uncomfortable now.

"But what if someone makes you happy?" Remus asked, his amber eyes watching her intently.

"Then he or she also has the power to make you sad. Because your happiness depends on them."

The three boys looked at her in shock. Then Sirius whistled slowly.

"And I thought I was bad!" he exclaimed. "You put a whole new meaning to the concept 'fear of commitment'," he said, a big grin on his face. Olivia shrugged, still feeling very uncomfortable.

"I just don't like to depend on others too much," she muttered defensively. They were all silent for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts.

"You know, that just makes it all better," Sirius suddenly said, looking at Olivia. "It means it'll be hard to provoke you, but it will be worth it. You could be good in battle," he nodded, clearly convinced it would work out, "but you need to be a bit more trusting towards people, though."

"I don't know," she said slowly, looking around the room. "I don't like it that my abilities in battle would depend on something other than logic or my intellect. You can't control it then."

"Aha! Now we're getting to the root of the problem!" James shouted excitedly. "You always need to be in control! You're a control freak!"

"I don't need to be in control, I just always happen to be," Olivia stated, her green eyes flashing. "By the way, I don't have the urge to organise my quills according to colour, or hair strings according to flexibility. That's what Mary McDonald does," she explained quickly when the boys looked at her in confusion.

Remus shook his head, his amber eyeing glinting amusedly. "That's another kind of control freak. McDonald hasn't got any control about her feelings, so she tries to obtain it in other ways," he said, trying to hold back his laughter. Olivia couldn't for the world understand what was so funny.

"You know what? Why don't we just call it a day," she said, feeling very much like she wanted to leave. She hadn't expected this conversation and she didn't like it that Remus, Sirius and James now knew something so personal about her. The only people she had ever discussed this with were Katie, Liz and Liam. "I need to finish my homework anyway before the weekend starts. I don't reckon I'll get much work done with your birthday party being tomorrow," she added, smiling at Sirius in the hope he'd be distracted. It worked like a charm.

"Bloody right you won't!" he shouted happily.

"Want to study together?" Remus asked, arching a sandy eyebrow. "We could go to the library."

Olivia nodded, feeling a bit more at ease. She would go to the Room of Requirement later, when she was alone. The day's progression had filled her with a need to play the piano and ease her mind.

*

"So we finished that Transfiguration Essay and the Ancient Runes assignment. What next?" Olivia asked, leafing through her notes.

"How about we work on that Astronomy assignment about Jupiter?" Remus proposed, pushing his hair out of his eyes, causing it to look dishevelled.

Olivia nodded and smiled at him. She was surprised to realize she liked studying with Remus. He could keep quiet but was also easy to talk to. He wasn't bad to look at either.

She went to the Astronomy section to grab a book about Jupiter and walked back to their table. On the far end of the aisle, a girl in Hufflepuff robes stood watching them from behind a bookcase. When the girl realised Olivia had seen her, she whipped her long light blonde hair behind her shoulder and made her way to Remus' and Olivia's table.

"Remmy!" the girl cooed, practically sitting herself on Remus' lap, who looked startled. Now, she recognised her as Remus' date from the Hogsmeade weekend.

"Oh hey, Christina," he said hoarsely, looking slightly uncomfortable. "Are you studying here too?"

"No silly, I was looking for you. I haven't seen you in ages," Christina pouted. Olivia started to snigger inwardly. This girl was hilarious.

"I'm sorry, we've been loaded with homework this week," Remus said weakly, his eyes darting to Olivia who immediately put on a straight face.

"Yeah, loads," she agreed, nodding vigorously. Christina's blue eyes narrowed as she looked at Olivia, analyzing her appearance.

"Could we catch up later this evening? I still need to finish this…," Remus asked, his voice trailing away as Christina glared. Then suddenly, the girl beamed at him. The transition was almost scary.

"Of course. I'll see you after dinner then," she chirped. "Bye Remmy!" She snogged him vigorously for good measure, and sashayed out of the library.

"Quite the catch, Remus," Olivia commented with a completely straight face. His eyes narrowed as he tried to decide whether she was being serious or not. "Why don't you invite her to Sirius' party?" she continued, unable to hold back her smirk. Remus glared at her, but couldn't quite hold his own smile back.

"That's a great idea," he answered, playing along. Olivia smiled and went back to her Astronomy assignment. When she had finished her paper, she decided she had done enough for the day and collected her things.

"I'm done, Remus," she said yawning, with her mind already on the grand piano in the Room of Requirement. "I'll see you at the party tomorrow, right?"

Remus nodded, writing the last lines of his essay. "It was nice, studying with you. We should do it again some time," he said calmly, looking up at her. His amber eyes were quite startling.

"Definitely. Laters!" She waved. The batty old librarian shot her a stern look, but Olivia just rolled her eyes and strolled out of the Library.

*

_This is the life_, she thought as she lay on the floor of the Room of Requirement, listening to Ella Fitzgerald. She loved the retro feel about the music, it was like a lost world of jazz bars and glamorous singers. _I should learn to play jazz piano. After I've mastered Clair de Lune. Can't do all at once._

With a sigh, she sat up straight and strolled to the grand piano. The sheet music of 'Clair de Lune' immediately appeared on the stand. The first lines were easy enough, but it started to get very complex. She'd have to work on this for a month at least. After she had practiced the first page a few times, she played a couple of her favourite pieces just for fun. Feeling thoroughly relaxed, she stole a glance at the clock and was shocked to see it was already 9 pm, meaning that she had missed dinner. Groaning loudly, Olivia quickly grabbed her bag and went in search of Liz. Maybe she wanted to come with her to the kitchens and they could chat a bit.

"Why does Evil exist?" the brass bird asked in its musical voice. Olivia loved the riddles to get entrance to the Ravenclaw common room. She and Liz often joked that they should have switched places because Liz seemed to have more of a Gryffindor spirit, and Olivia more a Ravenclaw one.

"I suppose there has to be Darkness so there can be Light," Olivia answered the bird.

"Good reasoning," the brass bird answered and the door swung open. The Ravenclaw Common Room was magnificent, easily one of her favourite places with the deep blue curtains and starry ceiling. She spotted Liz lounging in one of the elegant armchairs, chatting with one of the boys in her year.

"Hey there, Ortega," Olivia said lazily, strolling towards Liz who looked up in surprise.

"Olivia, I didn't see you at dinner." Liz frowned.

"Lost track of time," she answered with a smile. "Care for a quick trip to the kitchens? I'm starving."

"Sure," Liz said yawning, and stood up. "By the way, you're not supposed to be able to get into the Ravenclaw Common Room by yourself," she added, arching a dark eyebrow.

"You know I'm secretly a Ravenclaw in disguise," Olivia commented, her grey – green eyes glinting. To be honest, she did reckon Ravenclaw would've suited her better, but the Hat must've had his reasons to put her in Gryffindor.

"So how are you and David doing these days?" Olivia asked her friend as they walked through the empty hallways.

"He's starting to bore me," Liz complained, waving her hand dismissively. "Wants to sit next to me during lunch, holding hands and all that."

"Sick bastard," Olivia growled in mock anger.

"Exactly my point! All I ever asked for was a good snog and a nice toned chest to look at, but I guess that's too much trouble for Mr I – want – us – to – be – official. So he'll get the message soon enough," Liz said, smiling. They had reached the kitchens now and Olivia tickled the pear to open the door. Liz had always flat out refused to tickle the pear since they had found out about the kitchens. She deemed it inappropriate, for some reason.

"How can we helps you, misses?" Nettie welcomed them as soon as they entered the kitchens.

"I missed dinner, Nettie. Could you prepare something for me? Doesn't have to be fancy or anything," Olivia asked. She always felt a bit uncomfortable asking the House Elves to prepare her something.

"For me some tea with biscuits, please," Liz said, clearly having no issues with handing out orders. "And some good looking blokes, while you're at it," she muttered under her breath, too quiet for the House Elf to hear.

"Right away, misses. Please seat yourselves comfortably," Nettie squeaked, bowing low and led them to the table in a corner. Olivia enjoyed a good meal of grilled salmon with a creamy sauce, baked potatoes and a side salad, while Liz drank her tea. The two friends had a pleasant talk and Olivia told Liz about tomorrow's party in celebration of Sirius Black's birthday.

"Parties are great," Liz commented, her dark eyes glinting with mischief. "Sirius Black is not, however," she added, frowning a little.

"I always forget you don't like him. Why is that, anyway?" Olivia asked.

"He's too much of a pretty – boy, if you know what I mean," Liz answered, looking thoughtful.

"You know I have no sodding idea what you mean, Liz," Olivia said matter-of-factly.

"I mean, he's too pale and feminine – pretty. But to be honest, that goes for the majority of British men." Liz paused and stared away into the distance, obviously lost in thought. "If you would come with me to Buenos Aires this summer, to visit my family, you would get to see what real men are like," she continued dreamily. "Tan, athletic, dancers…"

Olivia sighed and ignored her friend. They'd had this conversation more times than she could remember.

"But I must say, British boys are better kissers, most of the time," Liz continued with an approving expression on her face.

"Sure they are," Olivia muttered absently. "We should get to our Common Rooms, Liz, it's an hour past curfew." Liz nodded and they said goodbye to each other at the top of the marble staircase, each going in a different direction.

*

"So remember, when we talk to Andrew and Troy, _I_ will bring up the subject of hot girls and dating and all that," Olivia said, looking intently at Emma who was sitting on her bed.

"Got it." Emma nodded vigorously. Sirius' birthday party was supposed to begin in an hour, meaning that phase one of Olivia's Plan would go into operation.

"And try to enjoy your last moments in over – sized jumpers," Olivia continued. It was crucial that Emma looked her usual self this evening, so nobody would suspect something.

All around them, the other fifth year girls were preparing for the party (except for Lily, who utterly disliked the Marauders). Joan Ellery put up her honey blonde hair in her usual retro hairdo and already wore her signature cat – eye make up. Olivia thought she looked very sexy and classy at the same time, not like those bimbos who smeared their face with make up. Mary McDonald was her usual nervous self, wringing her hands while she tried to decide what to wear. Olivia had just kept on the outfit she had thrown together this morning, namely a black jeans and a loose striped sailor's sweater. The collar was a bit too wide and kept slipping off her right shoulder.

"Calm down Mary, it's not like you're attending Dumbledore's birthday party," Lily hissed, clearly annoyed at her friend's nervous fluttering. Olivia looked up, surprised at Lily's acid tone. Usually the redhead was so patient, caring, sweet and smart it could make you sick (the only exception being when James Potter was involved). But now, Lily was moping and muttering angrily under her breath. She probably didn't like it that her friend was making an effort to look nice for James and his mates.

Mary blushed heavily at Lily's words, but said nothing. Olivia suspected she had a thing for one of the boys, but she didn't know which. And it didn't really interest her either.

Reaching under her bed, Olivia grabbed the long cylinder shaped present she had got for Sirius. She wanted to give it to him before the party started, so she left the dormitory, putting her wand in her back pocket as she always did. She climbed the stairs to the boys' dormitories and knocked on the door that said 'fifth year'. A lot of scurrying could be heard and finally the door opened, revealing a very excited Sirius.

"Can I come in?" Olivia asked, holding up her present.

"Sure, but only 'cause you got me a present," Sirius answered with a smirk. The dormitory was messy, but not as bad as she'd expected. Peter appeared to be sleeping, a faint snoring coming from the bed next to Sirius' and Remus was looking for something in his trunk, clothes flying everywhere. Olivia unceremoniously sat herself on the nearest bed (which turned out to be James') and threw the package at Sirius.

"Open up," she ordered lazily, arching one eyebrow. Sirius lost no time and ripped it open, looking confused at the cardboard cylinder.

"You're supposed to open that one too," she commented in a dry tone, smiling amusedly.

"I knew that." He opened the cylinder and pulled a large poster out of it. It was a muggle poster and featured a bikini – clad brunette on a motorcycle. Sirius looked utterly gobsmacked, his mouth wide agape as he stared at his poster.

"Merlin's pants, this is the best gift ever!" he roared, after finding back his voice. "How did you know I liked brunettes?" he asked, looking over his shoulder to Olivia with a huge grin on his face.

"Just a guess," she shrugged. James whooped appreciatively when they saw Sirius' poster, causing Peter to wake up. "There's something else in there, by the way," she continued, nodding to the cylinder. James immediately grabbed it and shook it vigorously, obviously hoping for more half – naked muggle girls. The disappointed expression on his face when a magazine fell out was priceless.

"What is this?" he muttered confusedly, leafing through the magazine. Sirius snatched it out of his hands and shouted excitedly when he saw the cover. It was a magazine about motorcycles, discussing different models and brands. He quickly leafed through it and then looked at Olivia.

"You're the best!" he said with a wide grin, pulling her in a bear hug.

"Tell me something I don't know," she muttered cheerily, returning the hug for once. Sirius started to remind her a bit of Liam. Well, an arrogant and flirty version of him.

"This work of art deserves a place of honour," he said grinning, looking at his poster. He put it on the wall above his bed, using a Sticking Charm and stood back to admire the effect. James, Peter and Remus came to stand beside him with a respectful look on their faces. James pretended to brush away a tear.

"It's beautiful," he whispered emotionally, while Remus nodded earnestly and patted Sirius on the shoulder. Peter said nothing, merely gazing in admiration. The boys were silent for a few moments, until Olivia broke the silence.

"So are you guys going to stare at that poster all night or are we going to celebrate Sirius' birthday?" she commented in an amused voice.

"Yes yes, of course. Duty calls!" Sirius shouted importantly, tearing his gaze away from the poster. "Remus, I think it's your turn," he continued, turning to Remus and giving him a meaningful look.

Remus nodded and grinned. Olivia didn't trust the look in his eyes.

"All right soldiers!" he barked in sergeant – like manner, pacing to and fro. "We have a mission to fulfil. Pettigrew, snacks?" he asked sternly, looking intently at Peter through his sandy locks.

"Check!" Peter saluted, grinning widely. He seemed to love this.

"Potter, guests?" Remus continued, turning to James.

"Check!"

"Black, drinks?"

"Check!" Sirius' voice boomed.

"Wright, music?" Remus suddenly barked to Olivia with a mischievous glint in his amber eyes. She was taken aback, but thankfully caught on quickly. As from now on, she was in charge of the music.

"Check!" she exclaimed in a clear voice, meeting Remus' gaze.

"Then we are ready to go," he said importantly, a big grin starting to form on his face.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far, I really appreciate it! Thoughts and comments are always welcome, they make my day :) The song mentioned in this chapter is 'Clair de lune' by Claude Debussy and the other artist mentioned is Ella Fitzgerald. All rights belong to the respective artists.

_Up next: Sirius' birthday party, tequila, a bet, and a sheep named Barry with a party hat._


	9. I Will Never Drink Again

**Chapter 9: I Will Never Drink Again**

"Loooove, looove will tear us apart agaaaain," Sirius and Olivia shouted along with Joy Division. It was around 2 am and the firewhiskey had flowed generously, as it should have on Sirius' birthday. James groaned and covered his ears.

"I swear, if those two don't stop singing –"

But his voice was drowned out as Sirius's voice initiated a new chorus, Olivia singing (for lack of a better word) along enthusiastically. Even though it was already late, the common room was still crowded. Most of the people had started dancing at some point, no doubt encouraged by the spiked drinks. All in all, it was one of the best parties the Gryffindors had had so far.

"Come on, James," Olivia shouted over the drunken laughter that filled the Common Room. "I'll put on The Beatles next!" Soon James too was singing along loudly to the chorus of 'Ticket to Ride'.

As Sirius and James were singing, she saw Lily eyeing James with a strange look on her face. Olivia grinned to herself. She knew for a fact that Lily loved the Beatles, and was probably torn between liking the fact that James adored them or being angry with him for liking her favourite band. Clearly, the two were made for each other.

James sang enthusiastically and tried to get Lily to dance with him. It didn't go well, as Lily shouted at him and sent a Jelly – Legs curse at him.

_At least his dance moves have improved, _Olivia thought drily to herself as James tried to wobble to Sirius, who was sitting in one of the couches with a bottle of Firewhiskey. She arranged for a stack of records to play automatically so she wouldn't have to bother, and went to sit in an armchair opposite to Sirius. Emma sat beside her, and she noticed Andrew and Troy also sitting in the circle. This was the perfect setting for Phase 1 of the Plan.

"I must say Sirius, it's a bit surreal to see you _not_ having run off with some girl yet," she said in a slightly lisping voice. The Firewhiskey was starting to do its job.

"I like to keep my options open," Sirius answered lazily, arching one dark eyebrow. "Tell me when you spot something, though," he added with a grin.

Olivia scanned the Common Room and her eye fell on Mary McDonald, who was talking with Lily in a corner.

"McDonald?" Olivia asked, observing his reaction. Sirius made a not-really-sure kind of face and shrugged.

"She's a bit too shy, and she's that kind of girl who immediately attaches herself to someone. I need someone who's open to just a bit of fun," he smirked, his grey eyes glinting.

"Well, that narrows it down quite a bit. And I suppose you want someone you haven't had before?"

"Naturally. Otherwise they could think I fancy someone." He shuddered at the very thought of it.

"Good luck with that," Olivia muttered, now turning her attention towards Troy and Andrew. "What about you guys?" she asked in a slightly ironic tone. Troy, with his dirty blonde hair and freckles, just shrugged.

"I'm not that demanding. McDonald looks fine to me," he responded with a boyish grin. His friend Andrew sniggered at his words and bro-fisted him. Olivia rolled her eyes.

"Aaand… what about Addy Brown?" she continued, referring to a fourth year girl who had a bit of a mousy face. Andrew made a face.

"Merlin no," he said, looking around quickly to make sure Addy Brown wasn't around. Troy sniggered at his friends' face and poked him with his foot.

"I got one." He grinned widely. "Choose between Alecto Carrow and Moaning Myrtle"

Andrew groaned in revulsion while the boys chortled. "I'd choose Moaning Myrtle since she can't touch you," he muttered, looking slightly nauseated. Troy looked at his friend with an impressed expression on his face.

"Nice thinking mate." He nodded appreciatively. James, Sirius, Andrew and Troy continued to set each other choices, either between two horrifying girls or two equally hot girls. Then, Sirius turned to Olivia.

"Oli, Evan Hamilton or Graham Davies?" he shouted in his booming voice. Olivia saw Evan vaguely look in their direction as he heard his name, but he didn't come over.

"Evan Hamilton," she responded confidently. Sirius raised his eyebrows in surprise, probably because she answered the question in the first place. "But he's the Gryffindor Captain so it wouldn't be allowed," she added with a grin. "Talking about teammates… Troy, Andrew? Between Emma and me?"

"Ah, Olivia, that's a tricky question," Troy answered with a grin. "See, we consider Emma here as one of us. So she couldn't be a choice in the first place, it would be like dating Andrew." Emma put up a good show, raising her goblet in agreement.

"That's odd. So you'd date, let's say, Audrey Midgeon before you'd date Emma?" Olivia asked innocently, referring to a Hufflepuff girl with a kind face but a lot of pimples. Troy made grimaced, but nodded half – heartedly.

"If you put it like that, I suppose yes," he answered grimacing. "I'd date any girl before Andrew." He gestured to his friend.

"Even Alecto Carrow?"

Troy grimaced. "That's just plain evil! But yeah, I guess."

"Padfoot!" Remus shouted suddenly, swaying slightly on his feet.

"We're_ hic_ out of drinks!"

"What the – how's that possible?" Sirius shouted back.

"Mate _hic_ I have _hic_ no idea," Remus slurred. With his sandy hair all dishevelled, tie hung loosely around his neck and the sleeves of his Oxford shirt rolled up to his elbows, he had captured the attention of several girls.

Sirius growled and wobbled over to where Remus was standing. "Merlin's knickers, Moony, you drank that whole bottle of Jack by yourself?" He laughed his barking laugh.

"It was _hic_ staring at me _hic_ as if I couldn't do it," Remus muttered defensively.

"Fair enough, mate. We'll just get some new liquor. Anyone coming with us?"

"I'll come with you," Olivia said as she stood up. "Seeing James getting rejected by Lily is starting to bore me."

"Yeah, it's only funny the first thousand times."

They climbed out of the portrait hole (Remus needed some help) and tried to make their way through the castle.

Remus staggered and seemed to think of something. "Pads, why didn't we use James' Invi –"

"Shut up, Moony!" Sirius hissed, casting a quick glance at Olivia. She didn't seem as though she was paying attention, humming slightly to herself. "We'll manage, just use the secret passageways." He swung an arm around his friends.

"Right – o, Pads!" Remus bumped into a tapestry that for once hadn't got a passageway behind it.

"Oops." Sirius giggled.

Olivia chuckled and clapped him on the back. "Better luck next time, Remus."

They managed to reach the kitchens without any further problems, although Remus was getting in a very bad mood. Apparently he was only a fun drunk for the first 30 minutes.

"Why don't we give ourselves a treat?" Sirius grinned excitedly as they loaded bottles of firewhiskey, vodka and tequila in their arms (Olivia did wonder briefly how the House Elves had those in the first place). He opened a bottle of tequila and handed Olivia and Remus a shot.

"Circe, this is strong stuff!" Olivia exclaimed, pulling a face. "Those Muggles really know what they're doing."

"Another one," Remus grunted moodily, holding out his glass.

"That's my boy, Remmy." Sirius grinned. He poured them all another shot, holding up his glass to make a toast.

"To an unforgettable, mad, Muggle -style party!"

*

Music pumping. Shouting. Someone falling over the refreshment table. A dark – haired figure flying around the Common Room on a broomstick (was that James?), throwing Chocolate Frogs at people's heads. Remus smoking something that smelled funky. Sirius singing loudly.

_Oh, right_, Olivia realized. _I'm singing. _

"Oh baby give me one more chaaance," she sang loudly.

"Won't you please let me back in your heart!" Sirius continued, draping an arm around her to prevent her from falling off the table (why was she standing on a table in the first place?).

Sirius danced like a complete nutter to 'I Want You Back' by the Jackson 5, pulling her along.

"Damnit Black, I don't want to fricking dance!" she shouted drunkenly, trying to free her arm from his grip. His hands were hot. "I want to sing!" she continued, immediately shouting along with the chorus.

Someone handed her another shot. She quickly downed it, throwing the glass over her head. She vaguely heard someone giving a surprised shout, but didn't pay attention to it. "All right, now I want to dance."

Things were getting out of hand. Remus, still snarky and with bloodshot eyes, passed his joint to a seventh year sitting next to him. A sixth year Prefect was handing out shots. James was doing some flying moves he really shouldn't be doing in his condition. Peter was carrying a Niffler into the Common Room. Emma punched some random bloke, giving him a black eye. Everything, all the colours and movements and sounds came together in a deliciously hazy blur.

Olivia yawned and leaned against Sirius, who stood swaying on his feet.  
"Fricking brilliant party."

He giggled, ruffling her hair. "I know." He let his cheek rest on her hair, smiling contently. "I know something that would make it even better."  
Olivia snorted, tiredness slowly overcoming her body. She'd lost the ability to think straight a few hours ago.

"What genius idea might that be?" she slurred. "I really don't think –"

He silenced her with a sudden, long kiss, wrapping his arms around her. His fingers moved to her waist, pulling her closer against his chest.

Olivia laughed drunkenly. "Merlin. This is too ridiculous for words," she chuckled. As Sirius kissed her a second time, she raked her fingers through his hair, falling onto the couch in an untidy heap.

*

A bright light shone in Olivia's eyes, causing her to wake up. _Why didn't I close the curtains? _she thought, trying to block the light with her hands. She reached for the hangings around her bed, but only felt thin air. _What in Merlin's name…_

She finally managed to open her eyes completely and found herself in the Common Room, surrounded by the remains of last night's party. A throbbing headache pounded in her head. _How – bloody hell! _

She just managed not to scream. Sirius lay beside her on the couch, sleeping deeply with one arm thrown carelessly around her waist and under her shirt. She couldn't for the love of Merlin figure out how they had ended up here. Her memory only went up to when they went to the kitchens, everything after that was a black hole. Olivia vaguely remembered a song, but she wasn't sure.

_Shit, shit, shit...This doesn't have to mean anything, _she thought nervously. _Maybe we just fell asleep on the couch. _But somewhere, she knew there was more to it. As Sirius moved in his sleep, he hugged her a bit more tightly and his hand moved under her shirt to the small of her back. Olivia quickly came to her senses and wriggled herself out of his death grip, trying not to wake him. She fell backwards off the couch with a small thud and buried her face in her hands, trying to regain her balance.

As she looked around the Common Room, she couldn't believe her eyes. Four Nifflers and a Puffskein were shuffling around the room, looking for food. Someone was sleeping in what seemed a Gryffindor banner. Peter was sleeping on a windowsill, covered entirely in glittery powder. A sheep with a party hat on was munching on a pillow.

_I have to get out of here, _Olivia thought desperately. She quickly trotted up to her dormitory to grab some fresh clothes and noticed that all the girls had already left. That meant it must be late, and that almost everyone in Gryffindor House must've gone to breakfast. Meaning, they had seen Olivia and Sirius curled up cosily on the couch. Groaning, she pulled a dark blue sweater over her head and grabbed her dark blue trousers, her comfort clothes.

Staggering heavily and with a throbbing headache, she managed to get out of the dormitory without waking Sirius.

Olivia had got her broom out of the broom shed to fly a bit. It helped her clear her head and get rid of the heavy feeling. She usually never had serious hangovers, but this was something entirely new.

"Stupid sodding Black," she muttered darkly while she flew around the stands. "Stupid me. Stupid firewhiskey."

After the first few laps, she had already felt better, and to avoid people she flew to a small balcony that couldn't be reached from inside the castle, because the door was locked. The balcony faced the lake, the colours changing from a light, cold blue to deep orange and pink as the time passed.

Eventually, everything from the previous night came back to her: the singing, the tequila, Sirius kissing her and the snogging session on the couch. Olivia realised she would have to face Sirius sometime, but right now the small balcony was a perfect sanctuary to keep away the real world. As the sky turned a deep red and the temperature dropped, she sighed deeply and flew back to the grounds, storing away her broom and walking towards the Great Doors.

As she stood in the middle of the entrance hall, she decided to form a Plan to deal with Sirius. It was fairly straightforward:

1. Find Sirius  
2. Talk with him somewhere private  
3. Stay friends  
4. Get dinner and an Anti-Hangover Potion

"Well, there's no point in postponing it," she muttered sadly to herself. She decided to check the Common Room first, then the Great Hall, and then the kitchens. If she hadn't found him by then, she'd have to wait until classes started tomorrow.

Olivia climbed the marble staircase reluctantly, dreading the crowded Common Room. It wasn't that she was ashamed of herself, or that she cared about gossip, but it was just unpleasant. She really liked Sirius, but not in a boyfriend – way, and she was convinced he felt the same about her. Firewhiskey and tequila just happened to do that to people. The thing she was most afraid of was that there would be an awkwardness between her and Sirius from now on. Scowling, she gave the Fat Lady the password to the Common room.

"If it isn't Miss Heartbreaker," James said with a gleeful expression on his face, still bearing the signs of last night. Olivia grunted in response and shot him a deathly glare.

"I need to find Sirius," she said impassively.

"Oh, how I wish for the two lovers to be united once more," James said in a dramatic voice, as if he was conducting a play. "Sadly though, Lord Black is not to be found here."

"Fine Shakespeare, then where can I find him?" Olivia retorted crossly. James looked confused.

"Who's Shakespeare? Never mind, you can find our Royal Blackness in the sanctuary of depressed souls."

"The kitchens," Remus mouthed from behind James' back as Olivia looked confused. He looked absolutely dreadful, holding an ice pack to his head while omitting an angry stream of curses. She nodded and gave him a small smile, already heading back through the portrait hole. Walking through the castle to the kitchens, she ran into a few younger Gryffindors who giggled as they saw her.

_If only I could cast a proper hex_ she thought grudgingly as they moved away from her. Finally, she reached the kitchens without meeting another soul.

"Good evening Miss Wright, how can we helps you?" Nettie's squeaky voice sounded as soon as Olivia entered the kitchen.

"Nothing today, thank you Nettie. I'm looking for someone," she answered absently, wincing at the loud noise that filled the room. In the far corner, she saw a tall dark figure sitting beside a plate of sandwiches.

"Hey Sirius," Olivia greeted him calmly as she took a place beside him. Sirius didn't look uncomfortable at all, with a slightly arrogant grin on his face but looking at her kindly.

"Hey you," he responded, playing with his goblet. "I was wondering when your need for me would become too hard to fight." Olivia rolled her eyes, but was inwardly glad that he was just joking around as always.

"Yes, I had to cave in the end," she sighed dramatically, playing along. They were silent for a few moments, until Olivia shot him an amused glance.

"Just friends?" she asked lightly, a grin starting to form. Sirius pretended to pout and look hurt.

"Friends with benefits?" he asked, his puppy-dog look on his face. Olivia tried to keep a straight face, but burst out laughing after a few seconds, only to wince as the throbbing in her head grew worse.

"Yeah, 'cause that would work out," she murmured amusedly, rubbing her temples. Sirius grinned along with her, and shrugged his shoulders.

"It was worth a shot. You're one hell of a kisser." He nodded appreciatively. "That thing you did with your tongue –"

"Stop it! I don't want to hear it," Olivia groaned, covering her ears. Sirius chuckled.

"Fine, I guess it's all for the best. We all know you'd fall in love with me in the end."

"Naturally," she answered, still smiling. "Come on, let's get dinner. I'm starving."

After that, Sirius and Olivia became close friends, both physically and mentally comfortable in each other's presence. Sometimes snogging someone is the fastest way to friendship.

That evening, Olivia and the Marauders sat in the Common Room trying to reconstruct everything that had happened.

"So, who brought those Nifflers in again?" Sirius asked, his brow furrowed in concentration.

"I did," Peter said weakly. "Don't ask me why, I have no clue why I thought it would be a good idea."

"Well, that solves the Niffler issue," Olivia said breezily. "Who was that person in the Gryffindor Banner, though?"

"I have no sodding idea," Remus murmured, clutching his head. He had it bad. "No one has ever seen him and he disappeared around noon."

"Strange," James mused. "Anyone cares to explain why my broom is covered in little hearts?"

"You flew it around the Common Room yesterday," Peter said. "And then you started flirting with some fourth year girls so I guess they did it."

"Brilliant." James scowled. "It'll take me hours to get that rubbish off."

"Over to more important stuff," Olivia interrupted him, "what for the love of Circe's dirty knickers happened to that sheep with the party hat?"

"You mean Barry?" Remus answered, looking up with an amused grin. "He's gone back to where he came from." He chuckled at some inward joke.

Olivia frowned. "Explain, please."

"Well, you see, Barry was never a sheep," he said cryptically and sighed at their confused stares. "For some reason, I thought it would be funny to transform a side table into a sheep," the young werewolf muttered embarrassedly, covering his face.

After a moment of silence, Sirius, James, Olivia and Peter broke out in laughter.

"Stop it! It's not funny," Remus shouted, but soon he too was laughing along with them.

"Man," Sirius said, drying his eyes. "What a party."

"I will never drink again," Remus muttered seriously, his face a violent shade of pink.

*

Olivia was sipping from her second cup of coffee on Monday morning when Liz approached the Gryffindor Table like a bull spotting a red flag.

"You have a lot to explain, Wright!" she snapped as she gestured wildly, her dark eyes glinting. "I can't believe you didn't come to see me right away! Traitor!"

Olivia groaned tiredly. "Please Liz, I'll update you in Herbology. It's nothing special anyway," she muttered, trying to shake Liz off.

"You bet your ass you'll update me, snogging Sirius Black and not telling," Liz hissed angrily. "_Increíble…"_ she continued to mutter angrily in Spanish and left Olivia at her table. Unabashed, Olivia reached for a platter of scrambled eggs and continued to eat her breakfast without being interrupted.

"Silence please," Professor Flitwick squeaked as the fifth years found their seats in the Charms classroom. "As we have finished Silencing Spells, we will now move on to Turnback Spells. These spells can transfer objects to their original state or place. For example, when you drop a platter of cups, instead of casting Reparo on each individual cup you can cast a Turnback Spell, and the cups will mend themselves and move back to their original place. They also come in useful when you need to clean up," he continued, doing his best to look over his desk. "The incantation is_'convertam primo statu'_ and the wand movement is a wide, horizontal sweeping motion. Since this spell is designed to work on entire rooms, you will each have to take a turn. So form a row please," Flitwick said nervously, gesturing the students to line up. He made a wide circular movement with his wand, as if throwing a lasso, and everything in the room flew around, leaving an enormous clutter. The tiny professor stood up wobbly, having been knocked over by a chair. "Right," he muttered weakly, reaching for his hat. "The first one can go!"

Joan Ellery, looking classy as always, stepped to the middle of the room and cast the spell. It was quite effective, transferring almost everything to its original state and spot except for some of the larger objects.

"Very good Miss Ellery!" Flitwick exclaimed enthusiastically, recasting his mess-up-the-room spell. "Next one, please!"

James smirked arrogantly, obviously thinking household spells were a bit beneath him, and twirled his wand lazily. A few books flew back to their cabinets, but other than that nothing happened. James' face was priceless as Flitwick shook his head wearily. Peter and Sirius sniggered at their friend's fail. Mary McDonald was next and did well, though Lily was the only one to master the spell perfectly. She was in the Charms Club, after all.

"For your next lesson, I want you all to practice on the Turnback Spell and answer the questions in your textbook. Good day!" Professor Flitwick squeaked as the bell rang, signalling the end of their charms lesson.

"Hey Evans," James shouted to Lily as the Gryffindors walked to the greenhouses for their Herbology lesson. "Care to tutor me in Charms? I'd make sure we have a great time," he said, grinning broadly. He tried to appear all cool and arrogant, but the hopeful look in his hazel eyes gave him away.

Olivia wondered why nobody told him he behaved like a complete tosser.

Lily glared angrily at him. "Don't make me hex you Potter. I couldn't care less if you failed Charms because you think it's beneath you," she snapped, a fiery expression in her emerald eyes.

"Now Evans, you don't have to be so aggressive. Maybe you should go out with me to make it up?" he answered, racking his hand through his hair. Behind him, Remus rolled his eyes in exasperation, sighing deeply. He looked unusually pale and feverish again, since the full moon was only a week away.

As Lily sent a Bat – Bogey hex at James, Remus ignored his friend's cries for help and entered the greenhouse with an annoyed expression on his face. He probably got cranky when the full moon approached, like Katie did. Shooting a worried look at Remus, Olivia went to her usual spot at the table with Liz, who was looking at her so intently she could almost feel it burn.

Reaching for the garden shears, Olivia gave her friend a small smile. She knew Liz wouldn't be able to hold back her curiosity.

"So? Are you going to tell me what happened or what?" Liz hissed, grabbing a garden shear from Olivia and starting to prune the Boxing Bonsai rather viciously.

"Not much to tell." Olivia shrugged as she eyed the Bonsai warily. "We drank too much Firewhiskey and ended up snogging. Then I fled as soon as I woke up, which is why I didn't come to see you. I was out on the grounds." She dodged as the Bonsai swiped one of its branches shaped like boxing gloves at her. "Anyway, we talked it out in the end and we're still friends. _Just _friends," she emphasized as Liz shot her a knowing glance.

"You should hear the rumours people are telling about you. That you're pregnant of his babies but you want to raise them on your own. The usual load of dragonshit," Liz responded, seemingly relieved at what she had told her.

Olivia looked mildly surprised. "How come I never hear those rumours?" she asked to no one in particular.

"You don't pay attention to other people. You spend too much time in your own head," Liz commented, expertly pruning another branch of the Boxing Bonsai.

"Can't argue with that." She put on her dragonhide gloves and waited for Liz to sign her she could attack the Bonsai. Boxing Bonsais had very valuable flowers that only grew directly on the trunk. They had to keep it in a good mood by pruning it, so they could attempt to retrieve some of the flowers. As Liz gave her the all – clear with a nod from her head, Olivia dove on the small trunk.

After a couple of minutes, she came out with a handful of flowers, a split lip and some bruises.

"Anyway," Liz continued as if nothing had happened. "Your birthday is in a few weeks. Want to throw a party?" Olivia groaned and shook her head violently.

"Are you sure? You could snog the other Marauders, it'd make a nice collection."

"Sod off."

"I take that as a no. Just me, you and Liam then? We could get some butterbeer and go to the Astronomy Tower," Liz offered, moving on to the next Bonsai.

"Sounds great," Olivia nodded relieved. She took a deep breath, cracked her knuckles and threw herself on another Bonsai.

* * *

**A/N:** Well... all I can say is that it was necessary! Olivia and Sirius needed to become good friends somehow. Just to make this clear, this will NOT become a Marauder love triangle story :P I have a tumblr page for previews, fanmixes and pathetic attempts at photoshop, the link is on my profile. I love to hear your thoughts so leave me a review or a comment if you feel like it!

The lyrics in this chapter are from the songs 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' by Joy Division (they didn't exist until a few years later, but let's forget that little detail) and the song 'I Want You Back' by the Jackson Five. The other song mentioned is 'Ticket to Ride' by The Beatles. All rights belong to the respective artists.


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